Via intimate, mixed-media collages, Stan Squirewell excavates the tales of those that would possibly in any other case be misplaced in anonymity. The artist gathers photos from the Smithsonian’s archives and from family and friends that he then reinterprets with vibrant prints and patterns. Layering unknown pasts with present-day additions, Squirewell explores how on a regular basis traditions and rituals stay by means of generations.
His new physique of labor, Robitussin, Hotcombs & Grease, invokes ubiquitous objects just like the over-the-counter decongestant and hair care. “Growing up, I was shaped by elders around me, and everyday objects like Robitussin, hotcombs, and grease became vessels for the rituals that anchored me to my heritage,” the artist says. “These items transcend their mundane uses: they embody traditions passed down through generations, grounding me in a collective identity.”
Squirewell cuts and collages photos and materials from his assortment earlier than photographing the composition, which then undergoes a digital enhancing course of. An elaborate body enhances every bit with charred shou sugi ban edges—a Japanese burning approach—and hand-carved particulars. The edges bear varied inscriptions connecting previous and current, together with strains from Langston Hughes’ poems and glyphs from ancestral African languages which have fallen out of use.
As a result of the identities and histories of most of the topics are unknown, Squirewell’s work provides a brand new relevance to their photos. How have each day, home practices and the legacies of earlier generations knowledgeable the current? And the way do these traditions create a broader collective expertise? Rooted in these questions, the dignified works turn into reliquaries that honor what’s been handed down and the way that continues to tell life at present.
Robitussin, Hotcombs & Grease is on view by means of Might 24 at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem. Discover extra from Squirewell on Instagram.
