Unveiling the archive

Unveiling the archive
Epoxy resin, wood, ‘Icansi’ (grass mat)
180 cm x 80 cm x 3,5 cm

Unveiling the Archive is a response to the repatriation of museum art and objects to their country of origin. The resin casting of the Icansi (grass mat), is a representation of a museum glass case, where objects are normally placed. Half of the artwork is caste in resin, with a grass mat on the loom behind the casting as a reference to calls for African objects currently housed in European museums and archives to be returned back to their rightful owners. For the artist, the Icansi denotes comfort and is a place of storytelling and knowledge sharing. Sadly these phenomelogical experiences are lost when cultural objects such as the Icansi are locked up inside museum glass cabinets.