%C2%A9 Modupeola Fadugba
Pink Honey, 2018
Modupeola Fadugbaexpand_more
Acrylic, pencil, and ink on burned paperexpand_more
The Robert C. Winton Fund and the Mr. and Mrs. Bernard M. Granum Fundexpand_more 2019.12
Not on Viewexpand_more
Fadugba’s work on paper, Pink Honey, explores the history of swimming within a context of access, community dynamics, and visibility. The work features a team member from the Harlem Honeys and Bears, an all-Black synchronized swim group for senior citizens. The sitter is posed facing us, the viewers. Her swimsuit and hair are left white---devoid of context---which visually and poetically unites the two forms.
Through the artist’s experiences and interviews with the Harlem Honey and Bears, Fadugba learned of their complex relationship to swimming---an activity that often excluded non- whites throughout American history. The artist noted this history of racism and exclusion by burning the paper. The burns refer to a 1964 incident in St. Augustine, FL, where a hotel owner poured acid on a group of Black and white protesters who refused to leave the whites- only pool. "These swimmers function as a visual tool to explore the power of togetherness to defy the odds and transcend debilitating stereotypes,"Fadugba added. "These are not unrelated issues; they are inextricably intertwined with the history of this community, but what has brought them together is their love for swimming."
Details
- Title
- Pink Honey
- Artist Life
- born Togo 1985
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2019.12
- Curator Approved
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© Modupeola Fadugba