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Sanford Biggers Quilt #6 2012
© Sanford Biggers. Courtesy David Castillo Gallery
The geometric patterns of the antique quilts that Sanford Biggers repurposes in this series are reminiscent of Op art or hard-edge painting and serve as ready-made abstract backgrounds on which he applies paint and collage elements. The cultural history of quilts is important to him, as they are not only tied to vernacular African American craft traditions and a history of women’s work, but were used during the 19th century as signals guiding safe passage for slaves escaping along the Underground Railroad.
The gold stars painted on this object also relate to the Underground Railroad, along which stars, particularly the North Star, were used as a navigational system to guide the way to freedom. At the lower edge of the piece the artist has included a pattern of waves, derived from Japanese prints. Biggers lived in Japan for several years and his works often include references to Japanese art and culture. The circular form on the upper right represents the Buddhist symbol of a lotus flower, associated with the spiritual process of transcending suffering. Here, the artist ties this tradition to the suffering endured by slaves during the Middle Passage from Africa to the United States, by rendering each petal of the flower using the plan of an 18th-century slave ship.
Identification
Title
Quilt #6
Production Date
2012
Object Number
2012.9
Credit Line
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by PAMM’s Collectors Council
Copyright
© Sanford Biggers. Courtesy David Castillo Gallery
https://www.pamm.org/en/artwork/2012.9
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Physical Qualities
Medium
Fabric treated acrylic, spray paint, cotton, silkscreen, and oil stick
Dimensions
72 x 72 inches
Visual Description
Quilt #6 is a mixed media piece by artist Sanford Biggers made in 2012. It is made of fabric treated with acrylic, spray paint, cotton, silkscreen and oil stick. It measures six feet by six feet.
The piece depicts several abstract patterns layered over a quilt. Starting from the outer edges: the top, left, and right edges are made of a red and beige plaid that creates small squares around the perimeter of the composition. The bottom edge depicts a pattern that resembles crashing waves. This pattern is mostly a bluish-grey, and the outline of the waves is painted a dark blue.
Inside the borders of the quilt, the remaining composition serves as a backdrop for the rest of the layered patterns. This background pattern is geometric, and built around a square. This shape is surrounded by diamond shapes, triangles, and parallelograms, creating a pattern of tessellating polygons. The pattern is roughly laid out in a grid that is six tiles across and five tiles vertical. Each tile has a different color palette ranging from dark and light blues, browns, pinks, oranges, purples, and greys. However, they share a similar tonal range and a similar beige color.
On top of this repeating pattern and in the top right-hand corner of the quilt is a square piece of fabric that is beige and painted on this piece of fabric is a ring of colors that resembles tie-dye. It is peach and dark pink in color.
In the center of the quilt is a large circle shape that is made of connecting star-shapes. The circle is brown-orange with small dark stripes within it. Also occupying the center of the composition is a large triangle that is painted a bright red-orange. The bottom point of this triangle extends beyond the background pattern into the waves beneath it.
