Malene Barnett

Artist Statement

Every piece, though built by hand in Brooklyn, pay homage to the traditional hand-building techniques found in the Yorubaland region of south-western Nigeria. Using the Gele-headwrap as a signifier, I blended my two-year-study of the slab building technique with an enquiry into the uncertainties of life to construct sculptures in rippling layers of clay. I gathered inspiration for the twisted sculptures from the unpredictable obstacles we encounter in life. The bold, organic patterns are etched freehand using underglazes and wax to reference the dye resist technique used in Adire textiles.

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