Black and White Floaty

Shinique Smith (b. 1971) Black and White Floaty, 2006 Clothing, accessories, and binding 47 × 23 × 23 in. The Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg in honor of Christine Y. Kim 2011.10.17

Shinique Smith works in sculpture, painting, and installation to create a variety of works, often from discarded materials. She transforms clothing, carpets, and other fabrics into recognizable yet foreign structures. Drawing from histories of Abstract Expressionism, graffiti, and Japanese calligraphy, her work brings attention to issues of waste and excess. In Black and White Floaty, the textural accumulation in the sculpture invites the viewer to speculate about the previous lives of the fabrics, and the transformations that took place when they changed hands.