2024
Manilla rope, wood and metal
128,6 x 32 x 29 cm
LR Vandy is known for her innovative sculptures that blend found and constructed objects to explore themes of trade, power, and identity. For Resistance, she has repurposed the wooden hull of a model boat into a mask-like form, decorated with twisted loops of rope around its circumference. The work is a part of the Hull series, in which LR Vandy transforms a range of model boats, animating them with various materials, including rope, fishing floats, porcupine quills, and acupuncture needles.
The hulls allude to the transportation of migrants as commodities. As masks, they present a transformation of identity, drawing upon the tradition of talismans, charms, and amulets. Representing aggressive protection, the materials Vandy applies to the hulls reference witchcraft/voodoo needles or nails, creating a tension throughout the works. The overall forms draw together the opposing aesthetics of attraction and repulsion; alluring and seemingly decorative pieces that, on closer inspection, provoke a sense of danger in the larger context of our world.
LR Vandy (b. 1958) is a sought-after British artist. Vandy’s notable exhibitions include her sell-out debut at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in 2018, solo shows Hidden (2019) and Twist (2024) at October Gallery, and Frieze Sculpture 2019. Her works are held in prestigious collections such as the British Museum and National Museums Liverpool. In 2023 Vandy was commissioned by National Museums Liverpool to create Dancing in Time: The Ties That Bind Us, a 5-meter-high sculpture on the Canning Dock in Liverpool.
