Name/Title
Sanford Biggers : codeswitchEntry/Object ID
N9500.B52.C63Description
Sanford Biggers (b. 1970) is a Harlem-based artist working in various media including textiles, sculpture, video, and performance. He describes his practice as "code-switching"-mixing disparate elements to create layers of meaning-to account for his wide-ranging interests. This catalogue focuses on a series of repurposed quilts (many made by white women in the 19th century) that embodies this interest in mixture. Informed by the significance of quilts to the Underground Railroad, Biggers transforms the quilts into new works using materials such as paint, tar, glitter, and charcoal to add his own layers of codes, whether they be historical, political, or purely artistic. Insightful essays survey Biggers's career, his art in relation to music, and the history upon which the series draws. Also featured is a short yet powerful graphic essay by an award-winning illustrator that introduces the layered meanings inherent in the art and craft of quilting.Lexicon
Search Terms
african american artists, african american quilts, artist monographs, installations (art), mixed media (art), quilts in artBook Details
Author
Andrea Andersson, Antonio Sergio BessaPublisher
Yale University PressDate Published
2020Call No.
N9500.B52.C63ISBN
300248644, 9780300248647Notes
Length: 173