Artist: Willie Cole
Exhibition title: Bella Figura
Venue: Alexander and Bonin, New York, US
Date: May 3 – June 22, 2019
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Alexander and Bonin, New York
Alexander and Bonin is pleased to announce Bella Figura, an exhibition of new work by Willie Cole. Cole’s assemblages of found objects, such as irons, bicycles, water bottles, and women’s shoes, offer a multivalent commentary on gender, consumerism, sexuality and African-American identity.
A central facet of Cole’s work since the 1980s has been his deployment of high-heeled shoes, which he has recast into pieces resembling furniture, bouquets, masks, animals, and humanoid forms. Uniting these sculptural interventions is the way that Cole incorporates both explicit and indirect references to African arts, cultures, and mythologies. This is particularly present in Woman in Heels 2019, a new 6-foot bronze of a kneeling female figure inspired by Senufo sculpture. The Senufo, who live in southern Mali, Burkina Faso, and Cote d’Ivoire, are known for their bronze and wood sculptures which are often used for divination and religious worship. Also on view are a selection of recent shoe masks and Head Over Heels 2019, a series of portraits on canvas that activate and personify the masks.
Cycles – of water, of carbon, and of energy – have long been a critical concern to the artist. In Wishes for Water 2019, Cole locates an intimacy between water bottles and cells; both consist of a modular unit that becomes a whole through repetition. Similarly, in Sole Flower 2017, worn shoes are multiplied into a mandalaesque, 8-foot wide blossom, reflecting his long-standing interest in Tibetan Buddhism. Together, these works reveal the subtle, humorous poetry at the heart of Cole’s work as he finds beauty in overlooked forms.
Willie Cole was born in Somerville, NJ and studied at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Students League in New York. He lives and works in New Jersey. His work has been the subject of several one-person museum exhibitions: The Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University (2019), David C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland (2016), Montclair Art Museum (2006), Tampa Museum of Art (2004), Miami Art Museum (2001), Bronx Museum of the Arts (2001) and the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1998).
Willie Cole, Bella Figura, 2019, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Willie Cole, Bella Figura, 2019, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Willie Cole, Bella Figura, 2019, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Willie Cole, Bella Figura, 2019, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Willie Cole, Bella Figura, 2019, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Willie Cole, Bella Figura, 2019, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Willie Cole, Bella Figura, 2019, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Willie Cole, Bella Figura, 2019, exhibition view, Alexander and Bonin, New York
Willie Cole, Woman in Heels, 2019, bronze, 70 x 25 x 30 in/177.8 x 63.5 x 76.2 cm
Willie Cole, Stadium 2019, shoes, wire and screws on a metal stand, 64 ½ x 19 ½ x 15 1/2 in/163.8 x 49.5 x 39.3 cm
Willie Cole, Bling 2016, shoes, wire, and screws on a metal stand, 66 ½ x 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 in/168.9 x 39.3 x 39.3 cm
Willie Cole, Red Velvatina 2016, shoes, wire and screws on a metal stand, 68 x 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 in/172.7 x 39.3 x 39.3 cm
Willie Cole, Fly Girl 2016, shoes, wire, and screws on a metal stand, 65 ½ x 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 in/166.4 x 39.3 x 39.3 cm
Willie Cole, Eye Candy 2016, shoes, wire and screws, 18 x 9 1/2 x 10 in/45.7 x 24 x 25.4 cm
Willie Cole, Ashley Bikerton 2016, shoes, wire and screws on a metal stand, 63 ½ x 16 x 15 ½ in/161.3 x 40.6 x 39.3 cm
Willie Cole, Black Panther 2016, shoes, wire and screws on a metal stand, 67 ½ x 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 in/171.5 x 39.3 x 39.3 cm
Willie Cole, Sole Flower 2017, shoes, wood, screws, metal, and staples, 7 ft diameter; 12” depth
Willie Cole, Sole Flower 2017, shoes, wood, screws, metal, and staples, 7 ft diameter; 12” depth
Willie Cole, The Smile that Bites (TSTB) 2018, shoes, wire, and screws, 19 x 20 ¾ x 10 ½ in/48.3 x 52.7 x 26.7 cm
Willie Cole, Street Dragon I 2018, shoes, wire and screws on a metal stand, 64 ½ x 16 x 15 1/2 in/163.8 x 40.6 x 39.3 cm
Willie Cole, Street Dragon II 2018, shoes, wire and screws, 19 1/2 x 15 1/2 x 10 1/4 in/49.5 x 39.4 x 26 cm
Willie Cole, Happy 2018, shoes, wire and screws on a metal stand, 64 ½ x 16 x 15 1/2 in/163.8 x 40.6 x 39.3 cm
Willie Cole, Head over Heels (Snake Charmer) 2019, inkjet print on canvas, 73 x 44 3/4 in/185.4 x 113.6 cm
Willie Cole, Head over Heels (Street Dragon I) 2019, inkjet print on canvas, 63 1/4 x 44 1/2 in/ 160.6 x 113 cm
Willie Cole, Head over Heels (Lizard Mommy) 2019, inkjet print on canvas, 73 1/4 x 44 1/2 in/ 186 x 113 cm
Willie Cole, Head over Heels (Eye Candy) 2019, inkjet print on canvas, 71 1/4 x 44 1/2 in/ 181 x 113 cm
Willie Cole, Head over Heels (Bling) 2019, inkjet print on canvas, 72 1/2 x 43 5/8 in/ 184.2 x 110.8 cm
