Tag: slave

Paa Joe in ‘The Coffins of Paa Joe and the Pursuit of Happiness’ at Jack Shainman Gallery

Paa Joe’s fantasy coffins, which can take the shape of a giant coke bottle, lion and more, could make anyone glad to be buried. His untitled rendition of a fort in Ghana is more (appropriately) serious, depicting a 17th century Dutch slave trade outpost. It is one of a series commissioned by late collector and Jack Shainman Gallery co-founder Claude Simard, currently featured at the gallery’s 24th Street and Kinderhook, NY locations. (On view at Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea through Aug 25th).

Paa Joe, Untitled, wood and enamel, 43 x 87 x 60 inches, 2004-05

Nick Cave at Jack Shainman Gallery

Nick Cave’s latest body of work – filling both of Jack Shainman’s Chelsea galleries – was inspired when Cave was stunned to find a spittoon in the shape of a African-American man’s head at a flea market. Since then, he’s collected similar figures, like this lawn jockey who recalls the legend of a slave boy who froze to death while holding a lantern for George Washington’s historic Delaware River crossing. Standing on a shoe-shine chair and surrounded by a shrine-like collection of bric-a-brac, Cave repositions an icon from America’s troubled past. (On view through Oct 11th).

Nick Cave, Fear Not, Therefore (detail), mixed media including cast-iron figure, shoe shine chair, ceramic birds, strung beads and metal flowers, 77 x 44 x 30 inches, 2014.