I got to know Precious Okoyomon several years ago through her poetry. For Okoyomon, there is no boundary between poetry and visual art. Okoyomon explained this to me in one of our conversations: “There is no separation for me between them. I’m inspired by poetry and that influences me and then I just make the objects that remind me of my poetry that I feel like I can physically hold and see.”¹ The works on paper manifest a discrepancy between that which is perceived, and that which is seen. The flowers on I’m Tired and I Want Nothing That I Don’t Already Have are part of a dream landscape whose world is a living poem. But the flowers are suffering pain; their burning ground indicates an ecological catastrophe. Okoyomon lends these horrors bright and cheerful colors, as well as an almost childish presentation in contrast to the motif – innocence in contrast to the unbelievable suffering that we experience. This tension can also be found in other works by Okoyomon, as well as in the artist’s unique presence.  As the artist Hannah Black describes: “Precious Okoyomon was born via miracle, transmitted after just five months in utero directly from the cosmos into our world, where we are individuated and stand in our bodies on street corners waiting for the pedestrian signal to change from red to white.”²

Hans Ulrich Obrist, 2021 (translation: Virginia Dellenbaugh)