Addressing and Redressing History in Simone Leigh’s Sculptures
In her multifaceted work, Simone Leigh (b. 1967, Chicago) explores the history of the African diaspora, examining topics such as the elusive legacy of enslavement, the indelible effects of colonialism and the forced migration of Black people. In this article, I focus primarily on her ceramic and bro...
Αποθηκεύτηκε σε:
| Τόπος έκδοσης: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles, |
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| Κύριος συγγραφέας: | |
| Μορφή: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Γλώσσα: | Anglais |
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Angles
2025
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| Θέματα: | |
| Διαθέσιμο Online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
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openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_9552 |
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openedition |
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openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_9552 https://doi.org/10.4000/159os urn:doi:10.4000/159os en https://journals.openedition.org/angles/9552 2025-12-03T01:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/159os https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Addressing and Redressing History in Simone Leigh’s Sculptures Angles Société des Anglicistes de l'Enseignement Supérieur info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/2274-2042 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles Charvalia, Myrto histoire esclavage Simone Leigh archive sculpture céramique réparations Passage du milieu history sculpture Simone Leigh archive ceramics reparations enslavement Middle Passage In her multifaceted work, Simone Leigh (b. 1967, Chicago) explores the history of the African diaspora, examining topics such as the elusive legacy of enslavement, the indelible effects of colonialism and the forced migration of Black people. In this article, I focus primarily on her ceramic and bronze work which I read as a reimagined genealogy of Black subjectivity. In regards to her approach, Leigh addresses history and exposes quotidian, therefore banalized, “scenes of subjection,” to echo Saidiya Hartman’s eponymous book. After delving into the controversy surrounding her main medium of expression, ceramics, I emphasize in this article the use of the archive both as a source of inspiration and a way to redress history. I also provide an analysis of her installation Last Garment (2022) as a therapeutic showcase or a “critical fabulation.” Le travail riche de Simone Leigh (née en 1967 à Chicago) évoque l’histoire de la diaspora africaine, examinant des sujets tels que l’héritage de la traite négrière, les effets du colonialisme et de la migration forcée, en les saisissant dans une glaise aux contours scintillants : ainsi l’artiste modèle dans le grès émaillé des formes féminines et des objets commémoratifs revisités. En explorant leur matérialité, Leigh révèle des « scènes d’assujettissement » (pour faire écho au livre éponyme de Saidiya Hartman) qui sont quotidiennes, et donc banalisées. Cet article s’intéresse à son principal outil d’expression, la céramique, et à la controverse qui a entouré son utilisation, ainsi qu’à la manière dont Leigh se sert de l’archive comme source d’inspiration. Son installation Last Garment (2022) est ici présentée comme une « fabulation critique » qui met en valeur les qualités thérapeutiques de l’art face aux omissions de l’histoire. |
| collection |
OpenEdition Journal |
| language |
Anglais |
| format |
Article ou chapitre numérique |
| building |
0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/ |
| topic |
histoire esclavage Simone Leigh archive sculpture céramique réparations Passage du milieu history sculpture Simone Leigh archive ceramics reparations enslavement Middle Passage |
| spellingShingle |
histoire esclavage Simone Leigh archive sculpture céramique réparations Passage du milieu history sculpture Simone Leigh archive ceramics reparations enslavement Middle Passage Charvalia, Myrto Addressing and Redressing History in Simone Leigh’s Sculptures |
| description |
In her multifaceted work, Simone Leigh (b. 1967, Chicago) explores the history of the African diaspora, examining topics such as the elusive legacy of enslavement, the indelible effects of colonialism and the forced migration of Black people. In this article, I focus primarily on her ceramic and bronze work which I read as a reimagined genealogy of Black subjectivity. In regards to her approach, Leigh addresses history and exposes quotidian, therefore banalized, “scenes of subjection,” to echo Saidiya Hartman’s eponymous book. After delving into the controversy surrounding her main medium of expression, ceramics, I emphasize in this article the use of the archive both as a source of inspiration and a way to redress history. I also provide an analysis of her installation Last Garment (2022) as a therapeutic showcase or a “critical fabulation.” |
| author |
Charvalia, Myrto |
| author_facet |
Charvalia, Myrto |
| author_sort |
Charvalia, Myrto |
| title |
Addressing and Redressing History in Simone Leigh’s Sculptures |
| title_short |
Addressing and Redressing History in Simone Leigh’s Sculptures |
| title_full |
Addressing and Redressing History in Simone Leigh’s Sculptures |
| title_fullStr |
Addressing and Redressing History in Simone Leigh’s Sculptures |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Addressing and Redressing History in Simone Leigh’s Sculptures |
| title_sort |
addressing and redressing history in simone leigh’s sculptures |
| publisher |
Angles |
| publishDate |
2025 |
| container_title |
URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles |
| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/159os https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/angles/9552 |
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1877291862595731456 |