Solo exhibition Ima-Abasi Okon

Collective time

Okon draws on elements from road running in this exhibition. For instance, rubber mats typically used in races are incorporated into a central work. Conventionally placed at the start and finish lines to register an individual’s run time, these mats have here been repurposed. The time recorded is no longer tied to individual performance but is instead measured collectively. The timer restarts every time a visitor enters the exhibition space. As more visitors enter the galleries, the clock resets more frequently. Shared time is displayed live on a digital clock.

Shared experience

With the active participation of the audience, Okon’s circuit slows down a system typically associated with speed, proficiency, and competition. Instead, the focus shifts to collective movement and alternative forms of validation, challenging conventional systems of power and approval. The work makes time a shared experience and invites you to reflect on how we experience and measure time in our daily lives.

Eindhoven Marathon

This installation is developed in relation to the annual ASML Marathon Eindhoven. Okon’s work doubles as an autonomous path that will be used as part of the initiative Your Marathon Challenge. In the months leading up to the marathon weekend, participants complete 41 kilometers on their own, by walking or running. This challenge is open to people of all ages and fitness levels. The work encourages participants to follow their own capacities.

About Ima-Abasi Okon

Based between London and Amsterdam, Okon works across sculpture, sound, and video to produce multilayered installations. Her solo-exhibition is titled: Incorporeal hereditaments like Love [can] Set(s) You Free, according to Kelly, Case, Dru Hill, Kandice, LovHer, Montel and Playa with 50 - 60g of –D,)e,l,a,y,e,d1;—O,)n,s,e,t2;— ;[heart];M,)u,s,c,l,e3;[heart];—S,)o,r,e,n,e,s,s4;. It presents a collection of old and new work in as many as 10 rooms.