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Explore and reflect on how Sanford Biggers's artwork is represented online
My Approach to Secondary Sources
My Approach to Secondary Sources
I try to understand the primary sources to make an informed decision about the author’s argument. When I read secondary sources, I think it is very important to understand the body of primary sources from which the author draws their argument. This is because if I can better understand those primary sources, I know how to evaluate the validity of the argument that the author makes. I by no means try to become an expert, but I look at the footnotes and do short Google searches of the documents or collections to get a feel for those sources. In this way, if the author of the secondary source makes a claim, I can better understand whether or not that claim has merit. For example, if I know a lot about Korean pop culture, and somebody says that K-pop is for older people, I see the argument is invalid because I understand K-pop.
Sanford Biggers in his studio in the Bronx.
Introducing Sanford Biggers
Introducing Sanford Biggers
Sanford Biggers is a vibrant American artist whose work spans a broad range of disciplines, including installations, sculptures, quilt art, performances, and music, all rooted in African American history and culture. He leverages his art to delve into and question the stories we tell about race, identity, and justice, mixing elements from traditional African art, American history, and modern city life. Whether it is through engaging installations or reimagined antique quilts, Biggers’ creations invite deep reflection and discussion about the African diaspora, racial dynamics, and our cultural legacy. His dedication to connecting past and present through art makes him a key voice in fostering important dialogues and driving societal progress.
Although Biggers has a website that displays his artwork, he focuses more on running his social media, especially Instagram. This underscores his focus on public engagement as an artist and an amateur historian. He prioritizes social media engagement over his website because it highlights his identity in relation to his art.
Code-Switching and the African Diaspora
Code-Switching and the African Diaspora
Biggers argues that for people of African descent, code-switching is more dynamic than the definition of code-switching that we understand today. We tend to think of code-switching as changing your language to be more acceptable or understood depending on the people you are with. For Bigger, code-switching is adaptable–it relates to language and has the audience play a key role. Communication took many forms for oppressed blacks--visuals, songs, and coded phrases were all used to pass messages in public. Black folks needed to understand the message, while white folks needed to assume the communication was benign. Historically, code-switching was performative, and it is a safety mechanism to protect one from white listeners, but black listeners were equally as important. A quilt, for instance, would look benign to a white audience, who would see symbols and patterns and apply no specific meaning, but it would be a means of vital communication for black communities. Code-switching can be represented in many ways, and Bigger’s art reflects this. All of his artwork is different forms of code-switching, whether it is some of the quilting pieces he uses or the beautiful classical statue figures. He takes traditionally “white” forms of art, such as classical sculpture, and combines them with African tribal art to encompass the nuances of cultural exchange and interaction. So, in practice, his art IS code-switching.
Somethin’ Close to Nothin’, Sanford Biggers, 2019, antique quilt.
“The latest work in Biggers's Chimera series, The Soothsayer juxtaposes Classical western statuary with African masks, revealing the complexities, contradictions, and affinities between diverging cultural traditions.”
“The latest work in Biggers's Chimera series, The Soothsayer juxtaposes Classical western statuary with African masks, revealing the complexities, contradictions, and affinities between diverging cultural traditions.”
-- Marianne Boesky Gallery
Switching the Code: Through a Black Lens
Switching the Code: Through a Black Lens
Sanford Biggers’s artwork focuses on code-switching and its representation in language. For example, in The Soothsayer (2019-2023), he uses an African tribal mask on the statue to represent a black man, combining African American culture with Renaissance sculpture in public display. This is a great example of artistic code-switching because it takes traditional European concepts and reimagines them through a black gaze. The incorporation of the African tribal mask introduces the black gaze, reinforcing black identity as valid and worthy in the same way as the classics. This not only bridges diverse cultural histories but also encourages the audience to reconsider conventional perceptions of identity and representation in art, promoting a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of global cultures.
The Soothsayer, Sanford Biggers, 2019-2023.
The Soothsayer, Sanford Biggers, 2019-2023.
Lifting the Veil, Sanford Biggers, 2023.
Lifting the Veil, Sanford Biggers, 2023.
Biggers also code-switches in sculptures to describe black and white communities. In the statue Lifting the Veil of Ignorance, Booker T. Washington is depicted lifting a veil from a black person symbolizing the education and progress that Washington brought to “ignorant” blacks. However, Bigger’s Lifting the Veil shows Frederick Douglass lifting a veil from Abraham Lincoln, representing emancipation and advocacy for the rights of blacks. He replaces the veil with an antique quilt, representing the physical manifestation of the black experience in America, including their hopes and fears. The irony in Bigger’s reinterpretation lies in the juxtaposition of historical roles and achievements. While Abraham Lincoln is often celebrated for his role in emancipation, the sculpture subtly suggests that it is through the advocacy and efforts of black individuals like Frederick Douglass that the true lifting of the veil--symbolic of ignorance, oppression, and segregation--occurs. It posits that emancipation and the advancement of rights are not bestowed by figures of authority but are achieved through active struggle and advocacy by those who are oppressed. This demonstrates the alternatives to removing contentious statues from the public in favor of having these statues reimagined through a black artist’s perspective. Bigger sees contentious statutes as a learning moment and an opportunity for the Black community to write themselves back into the historical narrative.
Engaging with Primary Sources through Recreation and Online Representation
Engaging with Primary Sources through Recreation and Online Representation
One of the ways that quilts are being studied as a primary source is by being recreated. People are reproducing the patterns and sewing quilts. Because quilts are a part of material culture, this is a way to engage with primary sources which is public-facing. This allows people to touch and experience history uniquely and encourages a deeper understanding. Songs can also be recreated in the same way.
The article “Codeswitch” analyzes Sanford Biggers’s approach to his art and how he incorporates code-switching. One thing he mentions is music as a form of communication.
“The music had to carry your people through enforced silence and terror when there was no other vehicle around.”
“The music had to carry your people through enforced silence and terror when there was no other vehicle around.”
-- Tate pp3
While this quote talks about music, it is an analogy for code-switching more broadly. Music was among the few “acceptable” activities for black and enslaved folks to participate in before emancipation. This meant they could code the language in the songs to have specific meanings under the guise of an approved activity.
Although Biggers has a website that displays his artwork, he focuses more on running his social media, especially Instagram. This underscores his focus on public engagement as an artist and an amateur historian. He prioritizes social media engagement over his website because it highlights his identity in relation to his art.
Reflection
Reflection
In my research of Sanford Biggers' artwork, I focused on understanding how he incorporated different cultures and histories into his works, such as The Soothsayer and The Revealed. I carefully researched the background and stories behind his art, specifically how he uses quilts and themes from African history. This study improved my ability to analyze art and showed me how artists like Biggers use social media like Instagram to share their work and ideas. The whole experience really deepened my awareness of how art can connect the past to the present and connect personal stories to larger global themes.
Work Cited:
Andersson, A., & Bessa, A. S. (2020). Sanford Biggers: Codeswitch. Yale University Press.
Solomon, Tessa. “Sanford Biggers Remixes Centuries of Art History in a Slew of New Solo Shows This Fall.” ARTnews.Com, ARTnews.com, 28 Sept. 2023, www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/sanford-biggers-profile-1234680563/.
Patel, Alpesh Kantilal. “Using Antique Quilts, Sanford Biggers Creates an Afrofuturist History of the Underground Railroad.” ARTnews.Com, ARTnews.com, 3 Feb. 2020, www.artnews.com/art-in-america/aia-reviews/sanford-biggers-david-castillo-quilts-underground-railroad-afrofuturism-1202676722/.
“Sanford Biggers, the Soothsayer, 2019.” Marianne Boesky Gallery, marianneboeskygallery.com/artists/35-sanford-biggers/works/23634-sanford-biggers-the-soothsayer-2019/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2024.
“Lifting the Veil Sculpture Is Revealed.” News, 8 May 2023, news.wisc.edu/lifting-the-veil-sculpture-is-revealed/.
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