Earth’s skin
Brooklyn Museum exhibits a work by a world-renowned artist from Ghana – “Earth’s skin”. It is an artwork of great interest in many ways, therefore it would be worthy to take a closer look at it and analyze from several perspectives.
What immediately strikes a regular audience is the material used to create the piece. What at first looks like a giant curtain, turns out to be a mosaic of aluminum and copper wires. Use of such materials reflects the author’s interest in recycling and transformation of raw materials. This work is a combination of a western form – a theatrical reference – with certain traditional African cultural techniques.
The colors used in the artwork seem to tend towards folklore. Because of red and yellow, the piece seems very bright, when in reality, it is beige and golden that are prevalent (Cotter). The texture of the work varies from curve to curve. The pattern is not uniform and it adds additional volume to the sculpture. His technique reminds of Impressionism in painting; separate color strokes that make sense when looked at from a distance. The curve of the “Earth’s skin” is flowy; despite heaviness of the material it creates an impression of a moving piece of fabric, but its grandeur indicates that it is more than that – almost an Earth’s skin, as indicated in the title. The sense of movement is present in every fragment of the work. It reminds of a giant living organism that breathes or dances.
It sees that the author wanted to emphasize the diversity of our planet, its liveliness and its vulnerability. Diversity is shown through variety of colors and patterns, the liveliness is portrayed by the voluminous curves and the vulnerability is transmitted through the medias used to produce the art piece. The image induces reflections. A work of art is both pleasing to the eye and has a deep meaning, while many works usually sacrifice one over the other.
I personally think this piece is a bright example of modern art. It demonstrates evolution of craft and sculpture and raises important social questions. It is exactly what art should be about today.
Works Cited
Cotter, Holland. “A million piece home”. The New York Times. 8 February 2013. Web.
