by Francesca Gavin

What does authenticity look like? In an era of high strategy and market-led obsession, Andrew Omoding’s natural talent and creative drive stands out without effort. The London-based artist’s complex textiles, sculptures and installations question our use of the materials of the world. Here, nothing is thrown away and everything is used and reused.

Andrew Omoding, 2019. Taken during his summer residency at the Camden Art Centre, London, UK. Courtesy the artist, ActionSpace and Camden Art Centre. Photograph by Hydar Dewachi

ActionSpace first encountered Omoding as a student at the Leighton College in North London in 2009. Impressed by his clear drive and talent, the artist development agency invited him to join their supported studio in Central London and have worked alongside Omoding and his family to develop his career and practice since. It was at their studio that he first began working with fabrics in an intuitive and imaginative way. “We initially thought his family had been tailors or shoemakers as he sewed a wonderful pair of leather shoes for one of his first major pieces ‘Sherry Terry’,” recalls Lisa Brown, an ActionSpace facilitator and Omoding’s long-time artist mentor.His instinctive process begins with material. He collects discarded materials and objects from which he transforms. Form and shape are central to his approach. He systematically builds up his sculptures from different elements including strings of woven yarn, textile swatches and a variety of textured material. Omoding’s textiles and found objects come from a variety of sources – notably donations of fabric, beads and swatches by designers who work in the same building at ActionSpace at Cockpit Arts, Holborn, London. “He weaves, sews, threads, hammers and ties materials together. He particularly likes adding beading work towards the end,” Brown notes. This hands-on process of building up an object has a direct effect on the work. The softness and density, texture and form of Omoding’s work is distinctive.

Often his works resemble the human body. His figures recline on beds, cross their legs on the sofa, or lie slumped on the ground. They reference the world around him. A child waving or reading, a man wearing a tie. His work also brings attention to the overlooked characters on the periphery. They recall the plus surreal forms of a late Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) or Sterling Ruby’s (b 1972) monstrous soft works, yet Omoding’s take is different. Instead of stuffed, his pieces feel wrapped or shrouded. There is something more sensitive here.

Other pieces by Omoding feel architectural and take up space. “My work is big, colourful and eye-catching,” the artist points out. His installation for Camden Art Centre, for example, was a complex house space with a disco roof canopy built up of hanging fabrics, often with holes cut out and other entry points where viewers could enter and become part of the space. His works are often hung from above, reflecting the artist’s desire for work to exist at eye level. These are installations that have to be engaged with and intentionally dominate a space.

Andrew Omoding, HOUSE (installation view), 2017. Outside In Co-Commission, Common Threads, Phoenix Brighton — Andrew Omoding, *HOUSE* (installation view), 2017. Outside In Co-Commission, Common Threads, Phoenix Brighton

Andrew Omoding, It’s my work, come see, come see. (detail) 2019, Camden Art Centre, London, UK. Courtesy the artist, ActionSpace and Camden Art Centre. Photograph by Hydar Dewachi — Andrew Omoding, *It’s my work, come see, come see.* (detail) 2019, Camden Art Centre, London, UK. Courtesy the artist, ActionSpace and Camden Art Centre. Photograph by Hydar Dewachi

Narrative and stories are central to Omoding’s pieces. “He began writing stories for his banners and sculptural worn garments and would sew snippets onto these,” Brown explains. “His stories have become more elaborate over the years as his work has become more complex and are often used to explain his collections of sculptural objects.” Omoding describes these stories as his ‘books’. Storytelling is an important part of his practice. As a piece develops he will narrate a story about it and the final step of creation is someone assisting Omoding in transcribing the story. His largely autobiographical narratives are performative, the artist shares them as such when showing the work. Brought up in Uganda, Omoding draws from his birth country’s rich history of storytelling and recalls his own experience listening to his grandmother and aunts telling stories. His African heritage is always present and important. His artwork and installations reflect his experiences of growing up in Uganda, migrating with his family to London when he was 12, the events of his everyday life and the people who fill his world. “At a time in the world where people are displaced, identity questioned and communities further marginalised, Andrew’s work feels important and relevant,” Gemma Wright, Head of Education at Camden Art Centre notes. “This is an artist celebrating his heritage and culture, both African and British, and inviting us in to experience, share and learn about the places he calls home.”

Omoding is a natural performer, and an element of playful engagement and explanation feels central to how he invites his audience in to experience his installations and work in a wider sense. Some of the sculptures also function as moveable instruments. His pieces are often created while listening to music. Sometimes he imagines them as instruments or movie cameras. “He likes to have a captive audience and wants to share his creations and ideas with others,” Brown notes. “He did not speak for much of his late childhood – teenage-hood and now has a desire to express himself in many different forms.”

Andrew Omoding, It’s my work, come see, come see. (installation view) 2019, Camden Art Centre, London, UK. Courtesy the artist, ActionSpace and Camden Art Centre. Photograph by Hydar Dewachi — Andrew Omoding, *It’s my work, come see, come see.* (installation view) 2019, Camden Art Centre, London, UK. Courtesy the artist, ActionSpace and Camden Art Centre. Photograph by Hydar Dewachi

The artist hums and sings, beat boxes and creates a verbal soundtrack whilst working, also listening to Ugandan and dance music in his studio. He almost appears to sing as a form of conversation. “His imagination flows with the sounds and movement. He is playful when singing and his experimentation allows for a free-flowing consciousness and conversation to be created. It also brings in his element of fun,” Brown points out. The variety of sounds he creates and listens to add a rhythmic nature to his process of wrapping and physical making. At Camden Art Centre, he also worked with performance artist Adrian Lee and sound artist Jackie Ford who helped record him whilst he was making. These recordings were then edited together with music to be heard in two sound pods, which were at opposite ends of the exhibition space.

There is a drive to share and create community that is inherent in Omoding’s approach. “Andrew has worked hard to overcome the barriers to success for an artist with a learning disability and lack of art college training,” Co-Director of ActionSpace, Sheryl Catto points out. That dedication is clear in results that are conceptually developed and exceptionally produced. Even the titles of his work share his desire to create, share and communicate: “This is my work, come see, come see.”

Francesca Gavin is a writer, curator, and Contributing Editor for Kaleidoscope and Twin, based in London and Vienna.

Andrew Omoding is an artist supported by studio ActionSpace in London. In June 2021 he is starting a 6-week residency at the Barbican Arts Group Trust as part of the ArtWorks Open 2020 awards. The residency will take place in the Summer of 2021 at their Blackhorse Lane studios.