Primitive Modernity

Allowing the tension between different objects and different cultures to wash over me, I am reminded of the inherent strength and purpose of a genuine pursuit. With an assemblage of accessories and looks reminiscent of the emblematic forms and divine materiality found in Ancient Egyptian Art and the Arts of Africa I am led to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to create a new contemporary expression. Sharply silhouetted Giambattista Valli stands next to the primordial grace of the Sphinx of Hatshepsut, directionally modern gladiators with glittering soles say do the sand dance. Crossing cultures I emerge in the Arts of Africa wing. Struck by the intensity of Abdoulaye Konaté’s monumental fabric work paired with Valentino’s layers of beaded fringe, the spring collection infused with African symbolism, and totemic in Ara Vartanian’s jewelry, deeply connected to the source of its materiality. Walking the line of West African textile traditions in Maiyet hammered silk accented in Arme De L’Amour, I morph into liquid gold in front of El Anatsui’s brilliantly vital and tactile expression, Between Earth and Heaven. A sweet reinterpretation of the past that for a moment transcends time, place and circumstance.