Contra/Diction, Sanford Biggers’ solo exhibition at the SCAD Museum of Art, was just unveiled for 2021 deFine art. For over a decade, deFine Art has been the highlight of the year at the SCAD MOA, and this year’s exhibitions are no exception. This year’s artists include Sanford Biggers, The Haas Brothers, Marcel Dzama, Paulina Olowska, and Christto and Andrew, with Biggers being this year’s honored guest and keynote speaker. Contra/Diction is an amalgamation of over 20 years of Sanford Biggers’ work, and the exquisitely curated exhibit superbly displays Biggers’ talents.
As you walk into the Walter O. Evans Center for African American Studies, we are greeted by my personal favorite piece, And?. The piece is an installation featuring three one-foot-tall sculptures. They are made to look like the ancient art of South America. The sculptures are casting shadows made of sequins that form three men. They are meant to portray three activists of the Black Power movement of the 1970s. They stand strong, tall, and sparkly.
As we move through the exhibit, we see the various mediums Biggers works in. Whether it be feather, quilting, sculpture, or video, Biggers always brings an element of history, especially Black History, to the forefront of his work. He tells the stories that we aren’t taught in school. He shares his experience as a Black man by telling the untold stories from history’s past and how they are still relevant today.
The work I find most interesting of Biggers is his quilt work. Quilting, a very homely craft that is very rarely seen in art, especially in a museum. But what Biggers does is highlight the importance of quilts in Black history. It is a legend that quilts were used in the Underground Railroad to help guide slaves to the North. A quilt hanging outside a home would mean a safe space for slaves trying to escape to the North for freedom. The quilts would use specific patterns and codes to know that the home was a safe space from slaves. Quilts have a very special meaning to people. They are usually made by a family member or friend and passed down from generation to generation and maybe even growing in size. This idea of an everchanging piece of history is what I love about Biggers’s use of quilts.
Throughout Contra/Diction, we get a clear view of the diverse works of Stanford Biggers. We understand his inspirations, skills, and story through his twenty years as an artist. Contra/DictionIs on view at the SCAD Museum of Art till August 15th.
Written By Tommy Drenn
Graphic by Day Toscano