Notebook 10, l'enfance de sanbras

2021 - Installation (Installation)

26 x 24 cm

Kelly Sinnapah Mary


Notebook 10 , l ‘enfance de sanbras (The Childhood of Sanbras) series by Kelly Sinnapah Mary is a sequel to an earlier series by the artist titled Cahier d’un non retour au pays natal (2015). This earlier work considers the process of reconstructing an identity of the Indian workers who arrived in the Caribbean during the post-slavery period. The work addresses the conditions of recruitment of these Indian workers, the strategies of the recruiters, how they lured them onto ships to bring them back to the plantations. Inspired by two authors, Aime Cesaire and Khal Torabully, the artist reinterprets masterworks of Caribbean literature. The Childhood of Sanbras series approaches another axis of reflection wherein Sinnapah Mary engages with her experiences and memories as a child, and the characters she identified with, while exploring current stories about the Indian diaspora in the French West Indies. Working with the concept of memory, her notebooks function like diaries in which characters take form and retell a story through drawings and sculptures that refer to a ludic universe of children. The series introduces the stories of Sanbras, a little girl in a school uniform and braids—an element so present in the artist’s practice that serves as a metaphor for the construction of identity through the gesture of braiding. The artist’s narrative mixes elements of Caribbean culture, Maroons, and Hinduism. Sanbras, in some of the works, has extra arms, legs, or a third eye. The little girl meets other friends throughout the story and builds a community. This resilient new village formed by Sanbras is a reference to the Marronage, of which she is part and wishes to build a new ecosystem. In the sculptures that accompany the notebooks, the artist explores Sanbras in a more material and corporeal manner, giving another dimension to the character through an ingenuous naivety.


Kelly Sinnapah Mary is a multidisciplinary artist who’s work is informed by the diasporic journey of her ancestors. She is the descendant of indentured laborers sent from India to Guadeloupe by the French Government in the 19th century to replace the free labor of the transatlantic slave trade. Sinnapah Mary’s practice reflects on her Indo-Caribbean identity by unpacking the details of her ancestors’ middle passage to Guadeloupe. Through the lens of science fiction, she often explores the so-called feminine universe; working with floral themes, soft materials, and fairy tales, using techniques that contrast the poignant and politically charged subject matter she addresses. From this friction, Sinnapah Mary traces her ethnic heritage, while questioning her roots as someone caught in two nested worlds—confronting concepts of ‘negritude’ and ‘coolitude’. ‘Coolie’, an expression coined by Caribbean poet Khal Torabully, is a pejorative name given to Indians who migrated to the Caribbean.


Colors:



Related works sharing similar palette

baby born in the back of an uber
© » KADIST

David Horvitz

2021

On March 30, 2015, at 5:52am, David Horvitz caught his daughter, Ela Melanie, as she was being born, in the back of an Uber driving through Midtown Manhattan...

Revolution for the Family: Heather Bhandari and Nikki Columbus on Pandemic Parenting, Art, and Activism
© » AFC

Revolution for the Family: Heather Bhandari and Nikki Columbus on Pandemic Parenting, Art, and Activism About AFC Board AFC Editions Donate Art F City Revolution for the Family: Heather Bhandari and Nikki Columbus on Pandemic Parenting, Art, and Activism by Paddy Johnson and William Powhida on May 19, 2020 Explain Me + Podcast Tweet The Abrons Art Center has paid all their staff and performers during the shutdown...

The best East Asian films of 2023
© » DAZED DIGITAL

The best East Asian films of 2023 | Dazed ⬅️ Left Arrow *️⃣ Asterisk ⭐ Star Option Sliders ✉️ Mail Exit Film & TV Dazed Review 2023 From Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s long-awaited Evil Does Not Exist, to Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘absolute masterpiece’ Monster 12 December 2023 Text James Balmont The year 2023, now coming to a bitter end, was jam-packed with all kinds of zeitgeist-piercing movies...

Interview with Jota Mombaça
© » KADIST

In this interview, interdisciplinary artist Jota Mombaça discusses their solo exhibition THE SINKING SHIP/PROSPERITY at KADIST San Francisco...

Christopher Bales Brings Sculptures to La Luz de Jesus
© » HIGH FRUCTOSE

The mixed-media assemblages of Christopher Bales come to La Luz de Jesus Gallery for a new show next month...

Iris Tingitana Oxalis
© » KADIST

Yto Barrada

2007

This photograph is part of the series titled “Iris Tingitana project” (2007) focusing on the disappearance of the iris...

Muster (Rushes, 2011-2012) by Clemens Von Wedemeyer
© » KADIST

A private preview of a new film produced for dOCUMENTA (13), followed by a conversation with political philosopher Florian Grosser...

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster — Nos années 70 (chambre)
© » SLASH PARIS

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster — Nos années 70 (chambre) — Galerie Chantal Crousel — Exposition — Slash Paris Connexion Newsletter Twitter Facebook Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster — Nos années 70 (chambre) — Galerie Chantal Crousel — Exposition — Slash Paris Français English Accueil Événements Artistes Lieux Magazine Vidéos Retour Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster — Nos années 70 (chambre) Exposition Techniques mixtes Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Nos années 70 (chambre), 1992...

Podcast 59: The Truth About Voguing in Asia
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Podcast 59: The Truth About Voguing in Asia | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles Vogue in Progress May 29, 2019 Duration: 20 min Podcast host Chloe Chotrani (assisted by Chan Sze-Wei) uncovers the world of vogue culture and voguing in Asia from legendary mother, Koppi Mizrahi, who hails from Tokyo, Singaporean drag queen Vanda Miss Joaquim and Singaporean dancer Amin Alifin...

Memoirs or Moe Satt's Memoirs
© » KADIST

KADIST presents Memoirs or Moe Satt’s Memoirs , a solo exhibition by visual and performance artist Moe Satt...

Special programme: Taiwan's artists step out of China's shadow (part 1)
© » FRANCE24

Special programme: Taiwan's artists step out of China's shadow (part 1) - arts24 Skip to main content Special programme: Taiwan's artists step out of China's shadow (part 1) Issued on: 11/01/2024 - 15:18 Modified: 11/01/2024 - 15:27 12:51 FRANCE 24's Alison Sargent takes you to Taipei for a special programme on how the island's artists are stepping out of China's shadow...

Censorship Snapshot: Unclear Guidelines
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Censorship Snapshot: Unclear Guidelines | ArtsEquator Skip to content Artist Ngo Dinh Bao Chau shares her experience with the ambiguous censorship guidelines in Vietnam with curator Linh Le...

Kyle Staver: Truth Be Told at Half Gallery by David Jager - New York
© » WHITEHOT

Kyle Staver: Truth Be Told at Half Gallery advertise donate post your art opening recent articles cities contact about article index podcast main February 2024 "The Best Art In The World" "The Best Art In The World" February 2024 Kyle Staver: Truth Be Told at Half Gallery Kyle Staver, Amazon Archers, 2023...

Relation Between Black and blood
© » KADIST

Naresh Kumar

2015

“Relation between Black and blood” explores the connection between performance, installation and representation...

Weekly Picks: Malaysia (18 – 24 June 2018)
© » ARTS EQUATOR

Weekly Picks: Malaysia (18 – 24 June 2018) | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Malaysia June 18, 2018 Live Fact Presents: Protomartyr , at Live Fact, 20 June, 8pm American rock band Protomartyr is performing in Live Fact this Wednesday...

144540
© » KADIST

Yosuke Takeda

2014

Yosuke Takeda gives the viewer brightly colored views, each of which he has searched out and patiently waited for...

These Walls
© » KADIST

Curtis Talwst Santiago

2017

Curtis Talwst Santiago has been creating intimate and performative environments within these small spaces for several years; the artist used to carry them around to show visitors one on one, opening up a scene in the space of his hand...

Moser & Schwinger
© » KADIST

Thursday 4 March 2010 at 7pm at Kadist Art Foundation...

Memoirs or Moe Satt's Memoirs
© » KADIST

KADIST presents Memoirs or Moe Satt’s Memoirs , a solo exhibition by visual and performance artist Moe Satt...

Moser & Schwinger
© » KADIST

Thursday 4 March 2010 at 7pm at Kadist Art Foundation...