You will make wishes for your neighbor (54 Days), 2024

Casts of mill stones lay in the grass. Traditionally, these flat stones were used in Nigeria (the artist’s homeland) to grind plants, beans and peppers. They have a ritual meaning too. Temitayo Ogunbiyi invites you to touch the stones and in doing so make a wish for someone else. Out loud or quietly to yourself.

In many cultures, you can strengthen a wish with a gesture. We move stones, light candles, blow the fluff from a dandelion. They are small habits from our childhood that we still apply from time to time as an adult. These rituals are found in both informal and known religious practices or as a small sign of some kind of spirituality.

As such, the work seeks a more collective and intercultural future in which everyone can participate. During a one-off performance the artist instructs a group. At other times, feel free to have a go.

This work was made especially for this exhibition. There are 54 words engraved in the stones, equal to the number of days that it would take to walk from Lagos to Antwerp, according to Google Maps.

Number 22 on the map.