Na Chainkua Reindorf

Presentation

Na Chainkua Reindorf (b. 1991, Ghana) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work focuses on the construction of world and myth through the art of masquerade. Inspired by the predominantly masculine traditions of masquerade in West Africa, Na Chainkua Reindorf offers a feminist reinterpretation through her long-running series Mawu Nyonu (2020- today), named after an imaginary secret society invented by the artist that means "God is a woman" in the Ewe language of Ghana. Partly inspired by Vodou cosmology, this secret society is made up of seven female characters, the Glanu - or "skins". Each is endowed with its own powers, capable of transforming the individual who wears it as a costume. Na Chainkua Reindorf chooses here to focus on one of the seven characters, Peli, who embodies the ideal of seduction. Approached as a performative ritual, masquerade represents for Na Chainkua Reindorf an unprecedented social space in which original, non-conformist identities can exist and develop. By making the women she represents take on the traits of Peli, Na Chainkua Reindorf brings to life, for the duration of a masquerade, powerful figures of women who regain control of their bodies and their narratives in an unbridled celebration of free self-expression. Na Chainkua Reinford graduated in Fine Arts from Cornell University and has exhibited in several institutions in Africa, North America and Europe. In 2022, Reindorf was one of three artists representing the Ghana National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.