You sense that Nhozagri is gesturing for you to sit on the cloud. You’re hesitant, you say, “Is it okay? I wouldn’t want to break it, it feels... Wrong to sit on something so beautiful.” The cloud looks f leecy, delicate and yet heavy with filling, like a steamed bun. You think you see one wink at you, and behind its sparkly eyes it tells you a story so quickly you can’t catch it, but you sense that it was a sad one. Nhozagri doesn’t reply, but when you sit there’s a palpable reduction in ripeness; cool greens and lilacs take over as the cloud transforms into wet grass, the smell of it is so overwhelming you don’t know if you’re going to fall asleep or get up and dance. In the distance you see a silhouette of a colossal, lumpy white mouse with a tiny pink smile and watery blue eyes, and you know that they need you to hug them. Slowly you float toward each other, and you finally understand what it means to feel light, unburdened. You’ve never felt so... What is it? You can’t put your finger on it. It’s tracing the creases of your skin, the contours of your ears, tingling in the very moisture of your eyes. In a language you don’t know but do understand, the mouse says, “Joy”. Yes, joyful, that’s it.
Nhozagri is not only an artist, she’s a medium, a dimension builder. Her practice is dedicated to representing the parallel universe of the Super Nhozagri Kingdom and telling stories of the puffy little creatures that live within it, in a bid to make viewers feel a little less heavy. These adorable beings have taken many forms: delicious dumplings, giant inf latables, soundscapes, paintings and plushy toys. Each being she creates has its own individual story, which is not uncommon for an artist; where Nhozagri takes visual, physical and sonic storytelling to the next level is through her focus on temporality. Her little creatures have life spans, just as we do. They are born, live out their lives, and die. Viewers are invited into the process; her plushies [also known as mollusc babies] desire to be loved by humans, to be cuddled and cherished, but will definitely perish with wear and time, just as their human companion will. Nhozagri’s work is more than hyper-cute creatures interacting in surreal landscapes [though captivating enough in its own right]. She actively rejects art’s obsession with longevity; its preoccupation with capturing a static moment in time and preserving it for future generations.
Nhozagri is not only an artist, she’s a medium, a dimension builder. Her practice is dedicated to representing the parallel universe of the Super Nhozagri Kingdom and telling stories of the puffy little creatures that live within it, in a bid to make viewers feel a little less heavy. These adorable beings have taken many forms: delicious dumplings, giant inf latables, soundscapes, paintings and plushy toys. Each being she creates has its own individual story, which is not uncommon for an artist; where Nhozagri takes visual, physical and sonic storytelling to the next level is through her focus on temporality. Her little creatures have life spans, just as we do. They are born, live out their lives, and die. Viewers are invited into the process; her plushies [also known as mollusc babies] desire to be loved by humans, to be cuddled and cherished, but will definitely perish with wear and time, just as their human companion will. Nhozagri’s work is more than hyper-cute creatures interacting in surreal landscapes [though captivating enough in its own right]. She actively rejects art’s obsession with longevity; its preoccupation with capturing a static moment in time and preserving it for future generations.
