Codex: Quilt #12 (from the Constellation Series)
Artist
Sanford Biggers
(American, born 1970)
Date2012
MediumFabric-treated acrylic, spray paint and cotton
Dimensions78 x 84 in. (198.1 x 213.4 cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineMuseum purchase, 2012
Object numberSN11349
Sanford Biggers has come to international prominence in the last decade with a body of work that investigates the themes of identity, race, African-American history, and spirituality. [italic] Quilt #12 [/italic] is part of a larger body of work that continues the exploration of these themes through another stylistic departure, painting on historical quilts.
Though the extent of their use has been contested, some believe quilts were used on the Underground Railroad as signposts signaling “stations” or safe houses. Slaves moved along the Railroad under the cover of night, in some cases led by earlier escapees such as the renowned Abolitionist, Harriet Tubman. Tubman is credited with leading dozens of slaves to freedom using the North Star as her guide during her perilous night journeys.
Biggers uses star maps as the source material of his paintings to allude to both Tubman and the Underground Railroad she traversed. He also includes the Buddhist symbol of the lotus flower, here composed by the repetition of a historical slave ship diagram, a symbol of hope constructed out of an image of oppression and degradation, as well as dance notations symbolizing both the trek along the Underground Railroad as well as the contributions of African-Americans to popular culture. Many of the quilts used in this series were donated to Biggers by the descendant of slave owners, adding a poignant historical echo to the work.
[italic] Quilt #12 [/italic] was included in the exhibition [italic] Codex [/italic] on view at The Ringling in 2012.
On View
Not on viewCollections
late 19th–early 20th century
Bruder Nastopil
Bruder Nastopil
2022
Charvet & Fils, Inc.