Goodman Gallery is delighted to present Remy Jungerman’s first major solo exhibition on the continent, Still Waters. The show continues the artist’s exploration of the visual, historical and psychogeographical connections between West Africa, Surinamese Maroon culture and 20th century Modernism.
Over the past 30 years Jungerman has woven thematic threads that are deeply connected to his birthplace, Suriname, placing fragments of Maroon textiles and other materials found in the African diaspora in direct contact with materials and imagery drawn from more “established” art traditions. Through this the artist presents a peripheral vision that enriches our perspective on art history. At the core of his practice, Jungerman uses kaolin clay and gridded textiles employed for rituals in the Afro-Surinamese Winti religion, harnessing their symbolic presence in his work. Winti people use the clay on their bodies for purification and wear specific fabric colour combinations that correlate with the four key elements: water, earth, air and forest.
Still Waters sees a new body of work where Jungerman presents a looser use of the kaolin clay, dripping the substance down panels covered in fabric. This produces multiple layers on the surface and points to the artist’s process in the studio as a libation. Born within this framework, the works become the consequence or “leftovers” of this spiritual offering. The water used in the clay mix also alludes to a to the ocean between the continents, invoking the story of how African peoples were taken as slaves to the Americas.
