The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 8, 2026

A dark digital graphic depicts three carved wooden figures standing closely against a black void. Their darkly polished bodies feature rounded heads with metallic caps and light bands at their waists and ankles. A faint, ghostly mask looms in the background, its hollow eyes and mouth dwarfing the figures below. In the corners, white text reads "TIES THAT BIND CHANNEL 2," while the artist's name, EMEKA OGBOH, appears in small gray letters.

Ties That Bind (Channel 2)

2019

Emeka Ogboh

(Nigerian, b. 1977)
Nigeria
Multichannel electronic sound composition; 21 minutes, 56 seconds
Sundry Art - Miscellaneous Fund 2019.34.b
© Emeka Ogboh
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

It is the first time a museum’s collection has directly inspired the artist’s work.

Description

Ties That Bind is an electronic composition designed to create ambient sounds for the CMA’s African art collection. It comprises digitally manipulated soundscapes of flowing water, water waves, a creaking boat, the strumming of mbira (thumb piano), staccato bass, tone, and slap of the djembe (drum), electronic drum, ichaka (rattle), voice chants, and spoken word. The multisensory work creates a soothing ambience, re-energizing the otherwise sedentary historical objects by adding an animated contemporary feel to the African gallery.

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2019.34.b