By Rachael Carnes
Ghanaian artist Jojo Abot brings her immersive performance, Power to the God Within to Eugene, to the WOW Hall on Jan. 26.
An artist with wide-ranging interests, and a resumé that includes tours with Lauryn Hill, Common and Stephen Marley, Abot says that any new creative project offers “the opportunity to discover truth.”
When I ask her what truth is, she laughs gently.
“Truth is forgiveness, letting go, it is compassion. When I am grounded, present and purposeful, that is a moment of truth.”
Truth, Abot says, isn’t something that can be performed. But when we see it, we recognize it for what it is. “A servant,” Abot Says. “A particle in this larger cosmic being.”
“Art is life, love, culture, heritage, it’s a social practice, it’s everyday life,” Abot says. “All these things are interconnected.”
Born in Ghana, and raised between two cultures, Abot says she’s humbled by her path as an artist.
“The role of the artist is as an individual that is questioning, testing, creating places where people can look at themselves,” she says.
Abot will share her unique performance and art-making process throughout her upcoming residency in Eugene, sponsored by the Hult Center Presents series.
When I ask her about her direct artistic influences, Abot pauses. “I have a hard time answering this question, because I don’t see it that way,” she says. “There are many people — Everyday people — that contribute to my moments of expansion. It could be the bus lady, saying, ‘Hey, good to see you.’
Based in New York City, Abot has plenty to source from, she says. But she chafes at the idea that “the arts” can be separated from the artist, or that the idea of “art” can be limited to one definition.
“I look at everyone, legends and individuals,” Abot says. “Anyone who’s presented new ideas, new vision. MLK, Winnie Mandela, Michelle Obama. It’s all inter-connected.”
Abot’s work ranges across mediums, including music, film, photography, literature and performance art. Her performance pieces explore, “the self as a provocative tool in the discovery, exchange and evolution of the subject of identity.”
Abot says she’s looking forward to the opportunity to connect with the larger community, “Learning, growing, becoming,” she says. “It’s a chance for us to expand and extend and levitate together.”
Jojo Abot at the WOW Hall
When: 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26
Where: The WOW Hall (Community Center for the Performing Arts) at 291 W. Eighth Ave. (Eighth and Lincoln streets) in downtown Eugene
Details: Originally from Ghana but currently based out of New York City, JOJO ABOT is a genre bending artist using film, dance, painting, fashion, and of course, music, to express herself and her message.
Tickets: $28 general admission, available online at the Hult Center box office, 541-682-5000, or online at hultcenter.org
