
Thandiwe Muriu Kenya, b. 1990
In Full Bloom, 2022
Photography - Jet Ink Print of FineArt RAG+ MATT 310g
90 x 67 cm
35 3/8 x 26 3/8 in
35 3/8 x 26 3/8 in
Edition of 7 plus 2 artist's proofs
Copyright The Artist
Material Culture is a photographic series inspired by the elaborate, rich headwraps that the Artist’s mother wears as a fabric crown whenever she adorns herself for a special event and...
Material Culture is a photographic series inspired by the elaborate, rich headwraps that the Artist’s mother wears as a fabric crown whenever she adorns herself for a special event and her weekly church attendance. No two headwraps are ever the same- they are draped for a transient moment and then gone as soon as they are taken off at the end of the day; and even if the same fabric, pins and method are repeated there will always be something new in the final drape.
Headwraps are a key part of African culture, and Material Culture both honours this and reminds the viewer that every time a woman puts on a headwrap, she adorns herself with the African equivalent of a regal coronet, transforming a humble piece of fabric into a beautiful piece of art that crowns her head like that of a queen.
Headwraps are a key part of African culture, and Material Culture both honours this and reminds the viewer that every time a woman puts on a headwrap, she adorns herself with the African equivalent of a regal coronet, transforming a humble piece of fabric into a beautiful piece of art that crowns her head like that of a queen.