CREATIVE AFRICA

If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed;

If in terms of 10 years, plant trees; 

If in terms of 100 years, teach the people.

These words of Confucius are the guiding principles to African architect Francis Kéré's work.  Born in the small town of Gando in Burkina Faso, Kéré was the first of his village to pursue higher education as an architect, and eventually returned to build schools and community buildings in his hometown.  The central facet of everything Kéré does is participation.  In all of his projects, he aims to include the local communities in the process, giving them skills and problem-solving techniques that they can apply to future situations. For his installation Colorscape for the Creative Africa exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Kéré used the help of volunteers from local educational institutions to install the large paracord environment.

I visited the museum over the weekend with a dress I made especially for the installation.  After seeing my post online, Kéré invited me to come and meet him, as he was on his way to Philadelphia from Burkina Faso to give a lecture at the University of Pennsylvania.  I was seated amongst the masses in the lecture hall when Kéré noticed my dress and said, "Is it you?!"  We had a wonderful conversation afterward as I told him about Artfully Awear and how his work had inspired me.  For him, it was an example of how his work elicits a response - and, in my case, an entire new work.  For me, he had planted a seed but also taught me a valuable lesson about engaging with a work of art.

Photos by William Sealy.

CREATIVE AFRICA

If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed;

If in terms of 10 years, plant trees; 

If in terms of 100 years, teach the people.

These words of Confucius are the guiding principles to African architect Francis Kéré's work.  Born in the small town of Gando in Burkina Faso, Kéré was the first of his village to pursue higher education as an architect, and eventually returned to build schools and community buildings in his hometown.  The central facet of everything Kéré does is participation.  In all of his projects, he aims to include the local communities in the process, giving them skills and problem-solving techniques that they can apply to future situations. For his installation Colorscape for the Creative Africa exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Kéré used the help of volunteers from local educational institutions to install the large paracord environment.

I visited the museum over the weekend with a dress I made especially for the installation.  After seeing my post online, Kéré invited me to come and meet him, as he was on his way to Philadelphia from Burkina Faso to give a lecture at the University of Pennsylvania.  I was seated amongst the masses in the lecture hall when Kéré noticed my dress and said, "Is it you?!"  We had a wonderful conversation afterward as I told him about Artfully Awear and how his work had inspired me.  For him, it was an example of how his work elicits a response - and, in my case, an entire new work.  For me, he had planted a seed but also taught me a valuable lesson about engaging with a work of art.

Photos by William Sealy.

KEHINDE WILEY | BROOKLYN MUSEUM

Through the exhibition Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, which just opened at the Brooklyn Museum, New York based artist Wiley proves that it is possible to create a place for African Americans within the canon of Art History, and that it can be done beautifully and poignantly, while still eliciting questions and inciting change.

The exhibition highlights various series of Wiley's works, including many paintings as well as a grouping of stained glass pieces.  For much of his work, Wiley appropriates poses from heroic portraiture, but replaces the subjects with African American youth, usually male (though he branched out into female subjects with the series An Economy of Grace).  Generally, the subjects themselves choose the portrait they would like to be fashioned after, which gives them a sense of control over the outcome. 

Viewing Wiley's body of work as a whole, he continues to challenge the role of the black individual within Art History, combining hip hop culture with high brow, traditionally white, male portraiture.  It is a thought-provoking commentary on the way that art, and society, have been and continue to be further democratized.

Dress: Tracy Reese

Blouse: Vintage

Tights: H&M

Shoes: United Nude

Necklace: Vintage

Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic is on view at the Brooklyn Museum through May 24, 2015.

Photos of me by Kathy Paciello; other photos by me.

SWEATER WEATHER

It's finally sweater weather, and what better inspiration for autumn layering than Jayson Musson's Coogi canvases?  

The Brooklyn based artist uses the eponymous 'Cosby' sweaters to cover canvases, which become some fusion between Abstract Expressionist painting and landscape.  

Originally marketed as 'wearable art' in the 1980s, the sweaters became a symbol of status for African Americans in the late '80s and early '90s.  Musson deconstructs the garments and reassembles them, finding a balance between their street culture significance and aesthetic relevance to fine art. 

In Art in America, Judith Stein asserted that, "In their ability to communicate a cultural narrative, Musson's Coogis are related to the faux-batik Dutch textiles favored by Yinka Shonibare, which encode the history of colonialism in Africa."

 Musson's alter-ego, Hennessy Youngman, discusses art world tropes like the ones his work purports through a series of web eposides called Art Thoughtz.  

Sweater: Coogi

Skirt: Vintage

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Heels: United Nude

Images via www.jaysonmusson.com and Artsy.net.

WIND SCULPTURES

I fell in love with the work of Yinka Shonibare MBE during graduate school, when I was writing my Master’s thesis on clothing in contemporary art.  Shonibare’s work is centered around the use of Dutch Wax textiles, exported from the Netherlands for African markets. The fabric is widely accepted as a symbol of African culture, but really signifies colonization and the merging of cultures, which is a very central theme to Shonibare’s work and his persona as an English Nigerian. I’ve followed Shonibare’s career very closely since 2008, and have had the privilege to see his work in person in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and as of this weekend, in Chicago. For his MCA Plaza Project, Shonibare created large scale Wind Sculptures that resemble flowing pieces of Dutch Wax fabric undulating in the breeze of nearby Lake Michigan.

Dutch wax dress: thrifted

Dutch wax sandals: Etsy

Handbag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Sunglasses: Duane Reade

Photos by Kristen Seay at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

EL ANATSUI

I am still reeling after experiencing one of the most beautiful and culturally relevant museum exhibitions I've seen in a very long time.

Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui is now on view at the Brooklyn Museum and is well worth a visit, even if you are not in New York.

El Anatsui (b. 1944) is a Ghanaian artist who is well known for his sculptural installations made using found materials such as aluminum cans, and the Brooklyn Museum exhibition boasts over 30 works.

The texture and painterly quality of the large-scale pieces is surprisingly reminiscent of Impressionism.  I was particularly reminded of Pointillism in the way that the large tapestry is made up of beautiful smaller elements that aren't necessarily salient but become noticeable upon closer inspection.  

The wall hangings are inspired by kente, a type of cloth created using an indigenous  weaving process that results in a silk/cotton blend and is native to the Ashanti and Akan people of the Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Referencing uli and nsibidi symbolism and drawing styles, Anatsui's stunning works also called to mind the tableaux of religious altarpieces, adorned with gold leaf.  However, the usage of found materials and nod to his Ghanaian heritage makes Anatsui's work more poignant than ever.

Dress: Aryn K. (very similar here, under $70)

Tights: H&M

Boots: Miista Val Tex

Handbag: Cynthia Rowley (some similar options here)

Photos of me by @kay_elle_pea and all other photos by me.