Working within a tradition of figurative sculpture related to monuments and memorials, Ledelle Moe’s works are informed both by the history of her native South Africa and by her diverse migrations around the world. In this work, she documents her journeys through places such as India, South Africa, and the United States in a manner similar to that of a personal journal. Reflecting on these different landscapes she encounters, she constructs small figurative sculptures that resemble a collection of excavated ancient artifacts. The heads that make up this work are made of concrete, earth, and steel. For each piece, she takes sand and dirt from the different countries where she has lived or traveled and mixes it into concrete, a process that gives each sculpture a different color and texture, registering characteristics of a particular place. The heads also depict distinct faces, transforming them into anonymous portraits. In this sense, the heads become a metaphorical map tracing the artist’s travels, while also alluding to the historical and cultural legacies that have defined these landscapes.
Identification
Title
Congregation
Production Date
2007–15
Object Number
2015.37
Credit Line
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift of Jorge M. and Darlene Pérez
Congregation by Ladelle Moe is a sculptural installation made of concrete and steel. Its dimensions are variable and change depending on where it is installed.
The piece is comprised of many small sculptures of human heads that are cast in concrete. Each head is about the size of an apple and is fixed to the gallery wall with a small steel beam. The heads are grey and clustered together on the wall. The installation is denser towards the middle and thins out towards the extremities. From afar the clusters resemble rocks in the shapes of continents or islands.
Ledelle Moe
Ledelle Moe — b. 1971, Durban, South Africa; lives in Cape Town, South Africa Artist Page