Iké Udé: The radical beauty of Africa, in portraits
Iké Udé: La belleza radical de África en retratos
The work of Nigerian-born Iké Udé explores a world of dualities: photographer/performance artist, artist/spectator, African/post-nationalist, mainstream/marginal, individual/everyman and fashion/art. Full bio
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by the Guggenheim Museum
called "Uses of Evidence."
llamada "Usos de la evidencia".
to view the interior of the structure.
el interior de la estructura.
was a collage of Africa and Africans
un collage de África y los africanos
y la literatura occidental.
media and literature.
revealed a sharp contrast:
revelaba un fuerte contraste:
tranquilas, civilizadas y domésticas
civilized, domestic images
diseñadores de moda, etc.
fashion designers, etc.
images are quite true.
como las interiores son bastante reales,
por los medios occidentales
como primitivos, en el mejor de los casos,
as basically primitive at best,
from the African animals.
de los animales africanos.
I'm afraid, since 1996,
profesional en 1994,
photography practice in 1994,
for photography
por la fotografía
que se nos fotografiara
for us to be photographed
mis hermanos lucieran la ropa nueva
to dress up in our latest gear,
with self-portraiture,
con el autorretrato,
fue mi primer gran trabajo,
in the US and Europe
de EE.UU. y de Europa
a part of the school anthologies
en parte de las antologías escolares
yet profoundly reasonable.
pero profundamente razonables.
proposed a different way
propuso un modo diferente
in a more complex manner.
en una manera más compleja.
la serie "Sartorial Anarchy"
the "Sartorial Anarchy" series
iniciada en 2010.
started in 2010.
disparate costumes
reuní diferentes vestimentas
countries and time frames.
y tiempos muy diversos.
aparentemente irreconciliables.
irreconcilable differences.
se convirtieron en una fuente
Eton-Oxford College Boat Race,
de botes entre Eton y Oxford College,
macaroni headgear from England.
de la Inglaterra del siglo XVIII,
a British Norfolk jacket,
Norfolk británica,
Zulu fighting stick.
de lucha zulú sudafricano.
empecé a invertir más tiempo
I began to invest more
the vast possibilities of color:
las vastas posibilidades del color,
the realm of meaning and logic.
del ámbito del significado y la lógica.
after over three decades away
luego de tres décadas
of 64 Nollywood personalities.
de 64 personalidades de Nollywood.
of the industry,
representativa de la industria
of rising stars.
de estrellas en ascenso.
a school of African filmmakers
de cineastas africanos
of telling African stories.
a contar historias africanas.
películas de terror,
gangster movies to action movies --
hasta películas de acción,
with many layers of complexities.
con muchas capas de complejidad.
if you allow, are there --
si me permiten, están allí:
the coquette,
the corrupt politicians,
los políticos corruptos,
and the losers, too,
los pobres y los perdedores,
par excellence.
de África por excelencia.
todo en mis retratos,
coloca su cabeza,
conducts his or her head,
some of the photographs for you.
algunas de la fotografías.
iconic African cultures
e icónicas culturas africanas
calma, majestuosa y faraónica.
ironic, calm grandeur.
the grande dame of Nollywood.
es la gran dama de Nollywood.
reclama nuestra atención.
commands attention.
to the audience.
dando la espalda al público,
with a redoubtable gaze.
con una temible mirada.
nuestra aprobación,
authoritarian and imperial bearing
autoritario e imperial
caftán nigeriano
massive Nigerian caftan
satisfacer mi pasión por el color.
to indulge my passion for color,
vestido azul que enfatiza su figura
that emphasizes her curves,
green velvet bench.
tapizado con terciopelo verde,
del pájaro escribano multicolor.
of the multicolored painted bunting bird.
the figure of Belinda within the frame.
la figura de Belinda dentro del cuadro.
existence and lifestyle.
y el estilo de vida del lujo.
pretty much speaks for itself.
habla por sí mismo.
is a Nollywood matinee idol.
de la matiné de Nollywood.
and organized the portrait.
y componer este retrato.
es una nueva fase de África,
attitude worth catching.
y digna de imitar.
of 64 subjects,
by Rafael's "School of Athens,"
"La escuela de Atenas",
as Rafael's "School of Athens."
que "La escuela de Atenas" de Rafael.
a type of modernity
un tipo de modernidad
so ubiquitous
del valle del Nilo
in the old "National Geographic" mode
en el viejo "modo National Geographic"
and see themselves portrayed by Nollywood
y se ven retratados por Nollywood
and fantastic complexities,
propagate and perpetuate
and continues to do for the West.
y sigue haciendo por Occidente.
en un marco moderno,
embelleciendo a África para el mundo,
beautifying Africa for the world,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Iké Udé - ArtistThe work of Nigerian-born Iké Udé explores a world of dualities: photographer/performance artist, artist/spectator, African/post-nationalist, mainstream/marginal, individual/everyman and fashion/art.
Why you should listen
Iké Udé's ongoing photographic self-portrait series, "Sartorial Anarchy," showa him dressed in varied costumes across geography and time. As a Nigerian-born, New York–based artist, conversant with the world of fashion and celebrity, Udé gives conceptual aspects of performance and representation a new vitality, melding his own theatrical selves and multiple personae with his art. Udé plays with the ambiguities of the marketplace and art world, particularly in his seminal art, culture and fashion magazine, aRUDE and recently his style blog, theCHIC INDEX.
Udé is the author of Beyond Decorum (MIT Press, 2000), which accompanied a traveling exhibition of his photography, and Style File: The World’s Most Elegantly Dressed (2008), a remarkable volume that profiles 55 arbiters of style, including Isabel and Ruben Toledo, Victoire de Castellane, André Leon Talley, Dita Von Teese, Ute Lemper, Lapo Elkann and many others. His work is in the permanent collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian Museum of Art and in many private collections. The esteemed online auction house, Artsy, ranked him -- along with Rembrandt, van Gogh, Warhol -- among the top 10 "Masters of the Self-Portrait." He has made the coveted Vanity Fair magazine's International Best Dressed List in 2009, 2012 and 2015.
Iké Udé | Speaker | TED.com