Timed with Tina Williams Brewers’ newest solo exhibition, Cultivation: Journey of the Work, which has opened at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, De Buck Gallery presents a selection of new works by the artist included in the show.
On view in the Robertshaw Gallery through April 24, 2022, the show celebrates the artist’s 40-year “journey of self-discovery and cultural heritage outside of history books.”
Tina Williams Brewer is considered a storyteller, who uses quilting in layers of textiles, images, and embellishments to portray fiber-works rich with cultural history and symbolism. Her imagery not only describes her own journey and identity, but African American spirituality, history, and culture as well.
Williams Brewer ensures that her works are full of history and meaning down to the last detail. The materials used in her fiber works have significant cultural meaning, down to the hand-dyed fabrics from Nigeria and Morocco, to the mud-cloth and beading, to the Jamaican lace and netting. Much like a story, she layers her pieces one upon another to create an image laden with historical meaning and depth.
These new works further develop Williams Brewer’s Oar Up or Down series, featuring a young West African girl who lives in a village of houses on stilts barely above the muddy waters, her only mode of transportation being a modest canoe and “a magic oar to take her places.” She is a “young lady who is transforming herself physically and spiritually,” said Williams Brewer of the protagonist in this series.
For this series, Williams Brewer worked with master printer Leslie Golomb to create original designs printed on exotic silks via a sustainable digital printer. Other original designs made with Golomb were hand printed on a variety of cottons via analog screen-printing methods.
Williams Brewer’s pieces are primarily hand-quilted and collaged mixed-mediums including photo transfers, printmaking, and hand-beading. Each piece is embellished with symbols drawn from African nations and rich colorful fabrics with patterns that allude to both cultural meanings and personal history. Her process creates complex, layered compositions that function as maps investigating her heritage, the African diaspora, and the links between past, present, and future.
For more information please contact De Buck Gallery at collect@debuckgallery.com / +1 212 255 5735. Join the conversation on Instagram at @debuckgallery #tinawilliamsbrewer
