H x W x D (Frame): 76.2 × 63.5 × 6.4 cm (30 × 25 × 2 1/2 in.)
Type:
Textile and Fiber Arts
Geography:
Livingston, New Jersey, United States of America
Date:
2019
Description:
A uniformly laid-out grid of 9 equal-size works of handmade paper mounted on white mats and in white wood frames arranged in three rows of three. Each float-mounted sheet made from human hair, rice, cotton and indigo is hand pressed with irregular edges. The top left sheet, known as “Little Anthony,” is grey-white with black flecks of hair throughout and gets progressively darker from top to base. A vertical royal blue line bisects the page to the proper left of center. The top middle page, “Yannicky,” retains the whiter appearance of cotton with clumps of black hair and a silkscreened rendering of the True Blue Golf Course, showing trees, runs in a narrow band horizontally across the lower edge. The top right sheet is slightly smaller, with mottled indigo pigment integrated from top to bottom down the middle. Across the middle row, the left sheet, named “Hannah,” is pale blue flecked paper with a hole above the center; above the hole appears a strip of a photograph of one of the pages from the 1773 will of George Pawley listing his “human property; a line of script used by the True Blue Golf Club is also visible near the base. The central sheet is a deep, almost-black indigo dyed sheet with silkscreened elements, likely from the architectural plans of True Blue Golf Club, almost discernible across the lower middle region. The right-most sheet is mottled with larger black flecks, a royal blue stain to the proper right of center and the lower edge appearing as if it was dipped in royal blue dye. The third and lowest row consists of the bottom left sheet which is stained royal blue from the top to below center while the lower third remains greyish-white with black flecks. The bottom center sheet, “Maria,” is pale blue with black and white speckles to a salt and pepper effect; and the pulp of the bottom right sheet was stained with indigo and hair dye giving the sheet an overall mottled, grey-blue appearance.
Provenance:
Acquired direct from gallery with artist’s knowledge. “True Blue Plantation” series consists of 27 works on paper divided into 3 sections of 9. A second section is being acquired by NMAAHC.
Published References:
Austin, Shanece. “Locs, Curls: This Visual Artist’s Pieces are Made of Real Hair!” Afropunk. Accessed September 8, 2020.
Byrd, Ayana, and Lori Tharps. 2014. Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Gbadebo, Adebunmi. “True Blue,” unpublished narrative for Claire Oliver Gallery.
----. Adebunmi.carbonmade.com. Accessed September 8, 2020.
Content Statement:
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