The Microbes of Memory: Emeka Ogboh’s Immersive Explorations of Identity

by Sophia Carmen Salganicoff

Somewhere between Lagos and Berlin lies the intersection of Emeka Ogboh’s life and work.

Ogboh splits his time between the two cities, and his immersive installations let viewers visit the overlap between these spaces through multiple sensory experiences. In Lagos State of Mind III, Ogboh uses speculative transit signage alongside field recordings from Lagos and Berlin. The sounds of car horns, engine roars, street music, Berlin train announcements, and conversations between African expatriates in introductory German bounce off of a fictional transit map that merges Berlin’s public transportation system with Lagos’s bus stops. Whether through the resonance of voices, the layering of urban soundscapes, or the infusion of sensory memory, Ogboh’s work reveals how history and geography echo across time and space. His art has been showcased at several international exhibitions, including documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel, Skulptur Projekte Münster, the 56th edition of La Biennale di Venezia, and the Dakar Biennale.

Emeka Ogboh will be featured by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Visiting Artists Program on Tuesday, March 11.

Your work incorporates multiple senses, from sound to taste to sight. How do you decide which senses to focus on in a project?

The choice of senses depends on the core concept and emotional resonance of the project. Each sense offers a unique way of experiencing and interpreting the world. For example, sound is integral to exploring memory and place because it evokes belonging or displacement. Taste and smell often surface when I work with migration or cultural themes since they’re deeply tied to identity. Ultimately, the senses I choose are those that best convey the story or message. Sometimes I focus on one or two; other times, I incorporate all five—it depends on what the story demands.

Music is an essential part of your practice, too. How do you see it as a tool for healing and connection?

I recently created a work Chi di Ebere dealing with loss, inspired by a personal experience. It is a multichannel sound and light installation featuring Igbo mourning music performed by a commissioned choir. This was installed at Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst, Germany. Though the language was unfamiliar to many, the emotions resonated universally. Music is deeply emotional, and this installation helped some viewers process their own grief. Starting with something personal and expanding it to universal themes allows for profound connections.

In works like Lagos State of Mind III, you blend real and imagined elements. How do you navigate that tension, and what does it reveal about your vision of Lagos?

For me, cities are never just about their physical form—they’re emotional landscapes. Lagos State of Mind III captures that duality: the real, lived experience of the city and the aspirational version people carry with them. Cities like Lagos are layered and complex, full of contradictions. They are as much about memory and possibility as they are about the present. By weaving the real and imagined, I explore those nuances.

In Sufferhead Original (2016), you transformed interviews with Africans in Germany into a multi-sensory experience, crafting a beer based on their experiences. Since then, you’ve collaborated with various players in the beverage industry. How has working on craft drink projects expanded your artistic practice?

Collaborating on craft beverage projects has allowed me to expand my artistic practice beyond the auditory and visual into the realm of taste, transforming these drinks into multi-sensory experiences. With Orbit Beers, for instance, I explored migration and assimilation by connecting Lagos, Nigeria, with Peckham, UK—often referred to as ‘Little Lagos’ due to its large Nigerian diaspora. The beer, No Food For Lazy Man, itself became a reflection of this cultural intersection, blending English brewing ingredients with Nigerian flavors to embody the merging of identities and histories. Beyond the recipe, I took an experimental approach to the brewing process by incorporating sound as an active element. Drawing from my sound art practice and the brewing concept of sonication, I played Lagos soundscapes during fermentation, allowing the yeast to ‘interact’ with the city’s sonic environment. While primarily conceptual, this process resonates with the idea that memory, migration, and transformation can be embedded into material and sensory experiences—even in something as seemingly intangible as sound shaping the brewing process. Ultimately, these collaborations are not just about producing beverages—they are about crafting layered narratives where multiple senses intersect in storytelling

You merge elements from different cultural contexts, like Lagos soundscapes and Berlin architecture. How do these juxtapositions challenge fixed notions of cultural identity?

By merging these elements, I show that cultural identity is fluid and multifaceted. Lagos and Berlin are vastly different but share certain rhythms and connections. Both have vibrant urban energy shaped by migration. These juxtapositions challenge fixed cultural boundaries, showing identity as a dialogue—a blend of influences evolving over time. My work reflects the complexities of globalization and migration.

What advice would you offer to young artists who want to experiment with new mediums and narratives?

Start with curiosity. Don’t fear failure—experimentation is about discovery. Engage with multiple disciplines and collaborate to gain new perspectives. Let your personal experiences shape your work. Who says you can’t combine painting with sound or scent? Break those boundaries and activate other senses to expand your practice. ■