These Walls

2017 - Sculpture (Sculpture)

13.97 x 13.97 x 6.03 cm

Curtis Talwst Santiago

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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. Santiago considers these mobile box enclosures a method of transporting narratives of home and intimacy, diasporic identity, and experiences most often hidden or concealed from view. These Walls is a sculptural piece made from a reclaimed jewelry box, clay, paint, wool, plastic figurines, and human hair. The work, which is displayed on an artist-designed pedestal with its face open, depicts a small cinematic scene at night. The upper half of the jewelry box is lined with architectural features and foliage in monochromatic black. It faces an alternative, interior view of a bedroom on the bottom half with several minuscule figurines that appear in several stages of activity across the room. The meaning of These Walls is what happens within ‘these walls’ of privacy and intimacy: rest, love, meditation, and conversation. These Walls is a place where night is a cause for reflection, vision, dreams. Santiago’s work frequently addresses transformation as a means of knowing and finding ourselves, of discovering what is already there but perhaps unknown.

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Curtis Talwst Santiago is a multimedia artist making work centered on the diasporic experience, transculturalism, and memory. Santiago is likely best known for his miniature dioramas, which recreate personal stories, shed light on underrepresented histories, or serve as creative retellings of often-catastrophic events. Santiago is a Canadian-Trinidadian artist who lives a nomadic lifestyle, working in South Africa, New York, Toronto, Lisbon, and other places all over the world. The meticulously crafted cinematic scenes typically make reference to the specific people, places, and histories discovered along the way.

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Colors:

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• domestic.a.02
• narrative.n.01
• architecture.n.01
• closeness.n.01
• materiality.n.02