Acaye Kerunen

A key component of Acaye’s artwork is materiality. Raffia, banana fibre, dried grass, stripped banana rind and palm leaves are hand-sewn, braided, knotted and rewoven as large-scale dolls, wall-based installations and free-standing sculptures. These works visually amalgamate personal, and lived experiences with material storytelling. All the natural materials in the artwork have evolved through artistic creativity into intricate assemblages that celebrate the durable yet diverse paths of life. 

These natural materials that are characteristicly typical in Acaye’s work, are inherently ephemeral. As highly versatile media, their consistent role in the artist’s body of work acts as a metaphor, illustrating the threads of identity woven in a vibrant tapestry. Dance is a recurring motif throughout Acaye’s works. Whether alone or performed with others, rhythmical movement is the common thread in the exhibition to celebrate or commiserate the ritual movements of life which facilitate self-actualisation. Here, the dolls, with their raised hands and dynamic poses, embody a sense of openness and liberation.