Yinka Shonibare CBE RA Modern Magic VI, 2022 Patchwork, appliqué, embroidery and Dutch wax printed cotton textile Work: 140 x 100 cm
Modern Magic VI forms part of the artist’s series of vibrantly coloured, hand stitched quilts that depict the African artifacts held in the private collections of influential modernist artists such as Matisse, Picasso and Derain.
In this piece, the artist depicts the Punu mask originating from the Punu peoples in Southern Gabon. Worn by male dancers during a stilt dance called “mikudj”, the mask depicts an idealised and stylised female face. Embellished in classical nineteenth century fashion, including a coiffure composed of a central lobe and two lateral tresses, scarring (cicatrization) motifs on the forehead and temples. Applied to the surface of the mask was Kaolin, a material sourced from local riverbeds and associated with the healing and spiritual, ancestral realm of existence. Using this material celebrated both the beauty of a mortal woman and marked her transformation into a transcendent being.
