Radcliffe Bailey, Calm Before the Storm, 2019

As an artist, Bailey often formally and very intentionally presents his work to his viewers, challenging them to look closely and critically consider both its historical and current significance in conversation with his materials. He consistently underscores this aim by including foundational elements such as shelves, cabinets, tables and other platforms that are precisely intended for viewing purposes; for our visual perusal and careful consideration.

His painting the Calm Before the Storm, painted in shades of blue, grey and black is marked in the middle by an image of a figurine, a shango oshe staff, of the Yoruba ethnic group, depicting a female figure balancing an axe over her head, representing the god Shango, god of thunder and lighting. During the 19th century, Shango’s thunderous energy became a symbol of the resistance of the Yoruba people when many Yoruba people were taken from Africa to the Americas as slaves. The word storm in the title of the work, suggests an allusion to both the god shango as well as the movement of resistance by the Yoruba people. In the background of the painting, a shadow of a ship appears in the distance, reminiscent of the slave ships used from 17th to the 19th century for the transport of slaves from the African coast to America. Black footprints on a white background can be seen around the image of the shango oshe, another element suggesting a reference to the history of slavery and, in a way, denouncing its inhumanities as they were often subject to working barefoot. In the foreground, a rather calm sea completes this symbolic scene. In the context of history of slavery and slave trade, the ocean often symbolises both an archive and a tomb. The calm of the sea can also be found in the title of the work, “the calm before the storm” an idiomatic expression, which suggests a moment of calm and peace before a disturbance or a crisis. Through Bailey’s unique vision and strong links to history and family, the artist creates an enigmatic, poetic narrative, denouncing the atrocities and inhumanities that his ancestors suffered.

Radcliffe Bailey United States, 1968-2023

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Maruani Mercier

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Radcliffe Bailey United States, 1968-2023

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