"Two-Faced" by Archie Byron

"Two-Faced" by Archie Byron

Name/Title

Two-Faced

Entry/Object ID

2017.3.1

Description

Two Faced depicts four faces merging together in Byron’s signature relief sculpture medium of sawdust and glue. Although the work can be interpreted in a number of ways, the imagery is suggestive of various sociopolitical subjects for which the artist is known to comment on. Often, Byron’s figures had a religious or political connotation and dealt with the theme of origin, through exploration of the concepts of Genesis and of his own mixture of heritages-Native American, African American, and European. While his art comments on racial and gender diversity, and fragmentation, his materials are symbolic of things breaking down and coming together as something new.

Artwork Details

Medium

sawdust, glue, paint

Collection

Southern Vernacular Art Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2017.3

Source or Donor

Hill, Lou and Calynne

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Byron, Archie

Role

Artist

Date made

1987

Dimensions

Height

12-3/4 in

Width

22-1/4 in

Interpretative Labels

Label

Archie Bryon (1928-2005) Archie Byron was from Atlanta, Georgia, and lived in one of its poorest districts. After serving in the Navy, working as a bricklayer, working for the sheriff's department and owning several private businesses, Bryon owned a gun shop where inspiration struck him to begin creating art. He first began assembling sculptures from tree roots, and in 1977 he created his own sculptural medium from sawdust and glue. Bryon also served as a city-councilman in Atlanta for 9 years. For the last 15 years of his life, the artist worked exclusively on his art, creating almost life-size figures from his sawdust medium, and using his art to comment on various social and political subjects.

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

January 24, 2017