2016.43 Kevin Beasley, Untitled (Sahara)

Working between the disciplines of sound, sculpture, and performance, Kevin Beasley explores identity and repre­sentation through objects in the broader context of their cultural production. His sculptures function as narrative vessels embedded with cultural, personal, and political significance. Using clothing cast with epoxy resin— house dresses, hoodies, scarves, Nike shoes—Beasley contemplates ubiquitous symbols of consumerism and their relationship to identity. In many respects, Beasley casts such objects to slow down time, allowing for closer inspection to analyze the commodity of the products and their impact on our society.

Untitled (Sahara) is a continuation of Beasley’s wall-mounted sculptural practice. Formed with a variety of clothing that he sources from markets in Queens and in Harlem, the assemblage of fabrics is cast as a ghostly grouping of clothing lacking a wearer. Unambiguously evoking the visual of a veil, hoodie, or hijab, the sculpture signposts what remains a topic of controversy and misun­derstanding among many. The hoodie became a politi­cally charged symbol of racial tension in America following serial acts of violence on Black youths wearing such clothing, drawing similar comparison to the debates regarding Muslim women’s dress. By using clothing to bring to mind the image of  the hijab and hoodie, Beasley points to questions of basic human rights that cut across divisions of religion, culture, class, and history.

Apply to objects where number equals 2016.43