By means of intimate, mixed-media collages, Stan Squirewell excavates the tales of those that would possibly in any other case be misplaced in anonymity. The artist gathers photos from the Smithsonian’s archives and from family and friends that he then reinterprets with vibrant prints and patterns. Layering unknown pasts with present-day additions, Squirewell explores how on a regular basis traditions and rituals stay by means of generations.
His new physique of labor, Robitussin, Hotcombs & Grease, invokes ubiquitous objects just like the over-the-counter decongestant and hair care. “Rising up, I used to be formed by elders round me, and on a regular basis objects like Robitussin, hotcombs, and grease grew to become vessels for the rituals that anchored me to my heritage,” the artist says. “These things transcend their mundane makes use of: they embody traditions handed down by means of generations, grounding me in a collective id.”
Squirewell cuts and collages photos and materials from his assortment earlier than photographing the composition, which then undergoes a digital modifying course of. An elaborate body enhances every bit with charred shou sugi ban edges—a Japanese burning method—and hand-carved particulars. The perimeters bear varied inscriptions connecting previous and current, together with strains from Langston Hughes’ poems and glyphs from ancestral African languages which have fallen out of use.
As a result of the identities and histories of most of the topics are unknown, Squirewell’s work provides a brand new relevance to their photos. How have each day, home practices and the legacies of earlier generations knowledgeable the current? And the way do these traditions create a broader collective expertise? Rooted in these questions, the dignified works change into reliquaries that honor what’s been handed down and the way that continues to tell life in the present day.
Robitussin, Hotcombs & Grease is on view by means of Could 24 at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem. Discover extra from Squirewell on Instagram.
