The Box Gallery had a range of artists displaying work from Sylvia Gosse's painting created between 1881-1968 named "The Nurse", Dame Barbara Hepworth's "Three Forms" made and presented 1903-1975 to the teetering alliance of Yinka Shonibare's " End of Empire" piece this was what peaked my interest. His piece was made up of two figures wearing suits embellished in African fabrics completely covered in patterns. Vibrant deep reds mixed with, warm orange tinged yellows, dark shaded greens, contrasting thick black outlined white patterns. They were positioned on either ends of a large seesaw each mimicking each other with one leg kicking out and an arm stretched out, almost reaching upwards in a half wave, half praising friendly-like gesture.
His piece was designed in 2016 and one of the key details I noticed first was that the heads on the models were small globes, this representing the countries engaged in the first world war. The seesaw demonstrated a metaphor that showed the balance in conflict and how possibility in betrayal or forgiveness hanged in the air in a balance between the two "Empires".
I decided to draw the artwork because I wanted to capture the diagonal imbalance ever changed as the piece moved up and down. I found that the positions the figures were placed in gave them more humanoid features despite not having human heads. The colourful patterns were also something I enjoyed the designs came from African culture which can have a very rich, strong colour palette and lots of mixed patterns. This added to the models connecting them together as a united pair showing the alliance between them as countries, that share a union and friendship.
The structure that made up the seesaw was constructed from a steel textured metal with the bolts lining the edges. The seesaw has a triangular shape as the main body balancing the bar holding the two models on either side, supported by a joint in the middle. I felt like he chose the steel design showing a more industrial material adding depth to the message. It could've been showing the two countries built and supported by strong stable industries and corporations.
This could've been seen as a form of juxtaposition in another sense displaying two capitalistic characters wearing suits that showed formality and a more serious style clothing. In comparison to the seesaw as an object used for fun and entertainment. Another example that it showed was the idea of a corporate suit, usually imagined as intimidating, a dull more monochrome colour accompanied by a brief case. Where as the suits they wore in the artwork were bright and adorn in colour, giving a more gentle touch to that idea entirely.
I thought more deeply about the style of the clothing they were wearing, the rich colours and intricate patterns could've shown the importance of the two figures I felt like that could've been why he chose those clothes and the suits may show that they could be people of power or authority. Whenever I thought of someone in a suit I think about a business man ready to negotiate a deal or someone of a high status having people working beneath them.
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