‘The Otherworld Is Home’ Explores Personal Reclamation, Cultural Identity, and Spiritual Passage

The Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University is currently showcasing a free public exhibition called The Otherworld is Home. This expansive museum-wide presentation draws inspiration from the Yorùbá proverb, "Life is a journey, the otherworld is home" (ayé l’àjò, ọ̀run n'ilé), and delves into themes of personal reclamation, cultural identity, spiritual passage, and interconnectedness across various African diasporas. The exhibition features three concurrent exhibitions and a rich program of related events.

The first exhibition, African Art: Ancient Roots, Enduring Values, presents over 40 classical and neoclassical works. These pieces illustrate how African artists employ traditional craftsmanship to establish a connection between the physical world and the spiritual. Guest curator, Henry John Drewal, in his accompanying essay, explores how African artworks communicate, perform roles, and acquire new meanings as they travel across oceans and cultural, political, and religious boundaries over time.

The second exhibition, Iké Udé: Sartorial Anarchy, showcases photographer Iké Udé's ongoing series where he merges clothing and objects from different eras and cultures. By dressing himself in a collage of diverse traditions, Udé transcends cultural and individual identity signifiers, finding harmony in the seemingly unbridgeable differences.

The final exhibition, Thresholds, brings together the works of four artists - Aisha Tandiwe Bell, Portia Cobb, Stephen Hamilton, and Daniel Minter. These artists explore the depth, complexity, and resilience of Black cultural memory, positioning themselves at a threshold between the visible and invisible, present and ancestral, and past and future.

They engage with African works from the Haggerty's collection, creating a dynamic "call and response" that fosters critical reflection, inspiration, and renewal. The exhibition invites viewers to engage with and build upon a shared cultural memory, where the past remains active and unresolved. For more information, visit marquette.edu/haggerty-museum.