One of our contemporary stars Azuka Muoh is back with a new collection that promises to both visually enchant and spark conversations about what matters to her. Store in a Cool Dry Place has a deliberately nostalgic thread to it and delves into the culture and customs around seemingly ordinary and everyday foodstuffs and how these nuances are laced into Muoh's childhood in Nigeria, much of it under the shadow of the Catholic church and its problematic partner, colonialism. There is a universalism to this body and indeed a deeply personal thread.

Growing up in Nigeria ensures many of Muoh's reference points are distinctly West African but this collection explores how so many of the motifs and memories integral to her childhood have their origins far further afield. Many of the foodstuffs manufactured in Europe and widely distributed throughout West Africa are part and parcel of any Nigerian's taste and memory bank and this major theme for Muoh –is rich with symbolism. The incongruousness of these expensive and imported foreign foodstuffs in a country with many on the poverty line, despite its wealth of raw materials is something that sits uncomfortably and which she investigates beautifully in each piece.

Store In A Cool Dry Place is open for in-person viewing from 5 October–10 November 2023.

Press release courtesy Christopher Moller Gallery.