OSLO NEGATIV 2026: RAFIKI

Fotogalleriet is proud to present Rafiki at Oslo Negativ 2026!

In the exhibition, she presents intricate, hand-beaded tapestries based on digital source codes: she translates the pixels of several images back into the physical world in the form of thousands of tiny beads. The images are dismantled into their smallest elements, then reassembled and translated into newly constructed images, abstracted patterns, and a series of free-floating wall pieces. By letting the beads slide through her fingers for hours, day after day, Rafiki prolongs the process of image creation, slowing down the time it takes to process an image materially, spiritually, and emotionally.

In what can be considered an informal, duration-based performance, each of the selected images is deconstructed and then reassembled, pixel by pixel and bead by bead. This demanding process, which the artist describes as almost trance-like, can be seen as an extension of Rafiki’s long engagement with memory practices and mourning rituals.

Rafiki (b.1989) is known for her in-depth exploration of reparative practices and forms of remembrance in the face of cultural, economic and political histories of violence. Through what the artist calls “auto-ethnography”, she has developed a unique methodology for embodied visual storytelling through installation, photography, and textile and beadwork. By incorporating narrative practices, memorials and cultural symbolism, she situates her artistic practice within pre-colonial epistemologies and traditions of intellectual exchange. These points of connection, which the artist explores and expands through a striking mix of cross-cultural borrowing and reinvention, hark back to diverse African cosmologies and concepts of interconnectedness that connect generations across time and space.

The intellectual traditions Rafiki expresses through her work encompass human relationships and spiritual practices, as well as metaphysical concepts. Her practice has recently expanded to include the reforestation project Future Forests Congo, which aims to plant 60,000 trees by 2030. This figure is equivalent to 1% of all war casualties in the country. Rafiki’s work is a testament to cross-species dialogue, ecological care, and artistic traditions that question Eurocentric biases in art history.

For press inquiries, please contact Head of Exhibitions, Randi Midthun: randi@fotogalleriet.no

For mediated visits, please contact Research and Education curator, Belén Santillán: belen@fotogalleriet.no