The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 8, 2026

A square digital graphic features a dark background layered with faint, shadowy outlines of large, stylized masks. At the center, three dark brown wooden figures stand together, accented by white bands at their waists and ankles, with small blue streaks pooling at their feet. Stark white lettering at the bottom left reads "TIES THAT BIND" over "CHANNEL 4," while "EMEKA OGBOH" appears in small, gray type at the bottom right.

Ties That Bind (Channel 4)

2019

Emeka Ogboh

(Nigerian, b. 1977)
Nigeria
Multichannel electronic sound composition; 21 minutes, 56 seconds
Sundry Art - Miscellaneous Fund 2019.34.d
© 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.d