Collections database information
Stoneware, thrown (upside down) in sections and joined, painted underglaze, with encapsulated stain and gold lustre
Stoneware vessel, thrown (upside down) in sections and joined. Alternating sections of gold lustre and predominantly abstract blue and white, painted underglaze with encapsulated stain. High raised foot of gold lustre, widening to bulbous body with abstract decoration of predominantly blue and white, with touches of pink and buff, and a pink spiral, with obvious throwing lines, narrowing to gold lustre shoulders, topped by a final section of blue and white.
Shawanda Corbett, Oxford; Corvi-Mora Gallery, 1a Kempsford Road, London, SE11 4NU, from whom purchased using the Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum Fund.
Acquisition and important dates
- Method of acquisition: Bought
- Dates: 2020-06-11
Dating
Corbett (b. 1989) is an interdisciplinary artist who creates abstract paintings, ceramics, poetry and performance. Born without legs and with only one hand, Corbett’s work reflects her perspective as a woman of colour with a disability and often addresses notions of what constitutes a ‘complete body’. Raised between Mississippi and New York, Corbett is pursuing a practice-led doctoral degree in Fine Art at Ruskin School of Art and Wadham College, University of Oxford.
The decoration of each piece is the result of movement and dance – Corbett improvised the painting on this piece and C.26-2020 while listening and dancing to ‘Part 3: Pursuance’ from John Coltrane’s 1965 album, 'A Love Supreme'.
This vessel is a companion to C.26-2020. They were exhibited together in Corbett’s first solo exhibition, 'Neighbourhood Garden', held at Corvi-Mora Gallery, London (16 June - 31 July 2020). This exhibition comprised works on paper and ceramics that capture the individual personalities of local people from Corbett’s Mississippi neighbourhood, whom she encountered throughout her childhood. These works aimed to move past common ‘tropes’ of African American characters, instead giving dignity and humanity to people often ignored or reduced to stereotypes. The work was produced in pairs; one piece suggesting the appearance of a character, the other, their personality. The amount of lustre on each piece is representative of the status of the character in Corbett’s eyes.
- 21st Century, Early
- Production date: AD 2020
Maker(s)
- Corbett, Shawanda Artist
Note
Corbett (b. 1989) is an interdisciplinary artist who creates abstract paintings, ceramics, poetry and performance. Born without legs and with only one hand, Corbett’s work reflects her perspective as a woman of colour with a disability and often addresses notions of what constitutes a ‘complete body’. Raised between Mississippi and New York, Corbett is pursuing a practice-led doctoral degree in Fine Art at Ruskin School of Art and Wadham College, University of Oxford.
The decoration of each piece is the result of movement and dance – Corbett improvised the painting on this piece and C.26-2020 while listening and dancing to ‘Part 3: Pursuance’ from John Coltrane’s 1965 album, 'A Love Supreme'.
This vessel is a companion to C.26-2020. They were exhibited together in Corbett’s first solo exhibition, 'Neighbourhood Garden', held at Corvi-Mora Gallery, London (16 June - 31 July 2020). This exhibition comprised works on paper and ceramics that capture the individual personalities of local people from Corbett’s Mississippi neighbourhood, whom she encountered throughout her childhood. These works aimed to move past common ‘tropes’ of African American characters, instead giving dignity and humanity to people often ignored or reduced to stereotypes. The work was produced in pairs; one piece suggesting the appearance of a character, the other, their personality. The amount of lustre on each piece is representative of the status of the character in Corbett’s eyes.
Place(s) associated
- Oxford
Identification number
- C.27-2020
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