Willie Cole's work uses contexts of postmodern eclecticism and combines references and appropriation from African and African American imagery. He also has used Dadaist readymades; Surrealist transformation of everyday objects including irons, high-heeled shoes, hairdryers, bicycle parts, and discarded plastic water bottles; icons of American pop culture; and African and Asian masks.From the Artist
When I think about spirit, I think of the forces of nature—air, fire and water. I think about how these natural elements have shaped our lives and how they continue to impact us today.
The steam iron for me is a vessel for all three of these elements; air and water together make steam and fire is present as the source for heat. Now consider the juxtaposition. In this lithograph, Between Body and Soul, I use the iron as a catalyst for the discussion about the Journey from Africa to the Americas. There are several design elements that feature the iron itself that led me to this concept. Foremost though is the description of the Iron as a domestic tool form here I link slavery to domestic work as its most extreme is servitude.
To make this connection even clearer, I chose iconic African Art objects that share some of the same silhouettes as parts of the steam iron in an exploded view. This is perceptual engineering, aka a visual double, an exercise in "Now you see it, now you don't."
—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records
Sculptor, printmaker, and conceptual artist Willie Cole was born in Newark, NJ. He earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York City.
Cole’s work has been exhibited at institutions including Highpoint Editions, Minneapolis; Al...