Wangechi Mutu talks to T Magazine as part of its series The Story of a Thing

In this series for T, Emily Spivack, the author of “Worn Stories,” interviews creative types about their most prized possessions.

The Kenyan-born, Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist Wangechi Mutu explores gender, race and cultural identity through collage, sculpture, drawing and performance. Her work is included in multiple shows this summer, including “Multiply, Identify, Her” at the ICP Museum in New York, N.Y.; “Chaos and Awe” at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville, Tenn. and “Road to Justice” at MAXXI in Rome. Here, Mutu explains how a sculptural piece of furniture made by a friend has altered her home and influenced her work.

My first proper piece of furniture is a dresser made for me by my friend Patrick Weder, a carpenter-slash-furniture maker who I’ve always considered to be an artist. Patrick had been making these objects and furnishings but not really taking himself too seriously. They were exquisite. I remember thinking, “When I have enough money, I need to get one of these because they’re astonishing.”

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Image: Portrait of Wangechi Mutu in her Brooklyn home studio

Photography: Nicholas Calcott, courtesy T Magazine