Tuli Mekondjo “Kwariri Nyoko Kevako: Echoes of the Matriarchs” in the exhibition at the German Bundestag

Mekondjo’s mixed-media work is included in the exhibition ‘Us. 19 fundamental rights. 19 artistic positions. One dialogue space’. The exhibition at the German Bundestag (Federal Parliament) will be on display from 22 May 2025 until 21 June 2026.

The Art Council of the German Bundestag had invited nineteen artists in 2024 to explore the fundamental rights. The occasion was the 75th anniversary of the German constitution (Grundgesetz) on 23 May 2024.

Text about Tuli Mekondjo’s work and the exhibition on the website of the Hales Gallery (New York):

“Kwariri Nyoko Kevako: Echoes of the Matriarchs” is a new large-scale work by Tuli Mekondjo made for the collection of the German Bundestag, the Federal Parliament in Berlin, and on view for the first time in this exhibition.

The commissioned work reflects upon Article 1 of the German Constitution: ‘Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority.’ Mekondjo is the first Nambian artist to be represented in the Bundestag’s collection.

‘Us. 19 fundamental rights. 19 artistic positions. One dialogue space’, is an exhibition held on the occasion of the 75th anniversary [one year after; ed.] of the Basic Law [Grundgesetz – German constitution; ed.], organized by the Art Council of the German Bundestag, including nineteen artists invited to explore German fundamental rights.

The artists involved represent an enormous breadth of contemporary art and thus a wide variety of access points and means of engaging in dialogue about the Basic Law.

[About the artist]

Tuli Mekondjo (b.1982 Angola) is a Namibian artist, whose richly multifaceted practice considers the sociohistorical context of Namibia as a site to re-evaluate and consider ideas around ancestry and identity.

Known for her mixed media and embroidered paintings, Mekondjo’s rigorous practice is a pursuit to connect with and honor her Namibian heritage. Sensitive explorations of history and ancestry allow Mekondjo to address, question, and heal parts of this past, deftly weaving personal and collective trauma with beauty, nature and optimism.”

• See also the text “Tuli Mekondjo (Artikel 1 GG) – ‘Kwariri Nyoko Kevako: Echoes of the Matriarchs'” by the Art Council of the German Bundestag about Tuli Mekondjo’s work in the ‘Primary Sources’ section of this website

• See also the report “Artist Tuli Mekondjo Makes History at Bundestag” by the Namibian in the ‘Media Reports’ section of this website