Inherited. Issue 6

Inherited.

Creative Space: Rosalie Oakman

To the point: Indigenous Artists

August 2023

Issue #6

EQUALITY IN ALL FORMS

CONTRIBUTORS

Editor: Beth Hodges

Photography and Design: Tingshan Liu

With thanks to the following Contributors: Rosalie Oakman, for her fascinating interview. To Ashley and Tingshan who contributed to Objects of Desire and Martin who also wrote the informative article about Claude Venard. To the Pitt Rivers Museum for their insightful essays into the Tsantas. To the many artists who inspired my journey of discovery into the lives and culture of Indigenous peoples. To the BADA members, whose items feature throughout this issue.

For Media and Press enquiries, please email: media@bada.org

For further information about joining BADA Young Friends, please email: bethany@bada.org, or call 020 3876 0147

For further information about contributing to Inherited., please email: bethany@bada.org

Follow us on Social Media: @bada1918, @badafriends

Please note, the opinions shared in Inherited., are not held by the British Antique Dealers' Association and those expressed are those of the contributing individuals.

Inherited . All Rights Reserved

Letter from the Editor: Beth Hodges

Dear Reader,

August’s issue of Inherited. is on the theme of ‘Equality in all forms’. This issue has required a lot of learning and it has been eye-opining to research Indigenous peoples, through the lens of artworks. In ‘A Day in the Life Of’, I take a fascinating walk through the archives of the Pitt Rivers Museum and imagine what it would be like to exist as an artefact of a misunderstood community.

We welcome back the lovely Rosalie Oakman, BADA Prize winner of 2022 and speak with her about equality for women within the art world. She shares with us the thought processes behind her current projects and we talk about her experiences of being vulnerable through her artwork.

Within ‘Objects of Desire’ we hear about the treasures of our BADA team, including antique stick pins, coveted by our Managing Director.

Finally, I look into the intricacies of the world of restoration, so that you don’t have to! This month, Collector’s Cohort provides you with a handbook of terms, to navigate the world of restoration.

We hope you enjoy this issue and as always, we look forward to hearing from you, Beth

For more information on membership to BADA Young Friends, email Co-Ordinator, Beth Hodges at bethany@bada.org or call 020 3876 0147.

Creative Space: Rosalie

Oakman

Rosalie Oakman is primarily interested in exploring the human body and sexuality through her artwork. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at Les Beaux Arts d’Angers in France, she pursued an MA in Textile Design at the University of the Arts London, where she specialized in sustainable textile design. However, she eventually turned to painting and textile art as mediums for expressing her interests in anatomy, psychology, sexuality, and mortality. Her work is influenced by artists such as Egon Schiele, Jenny Saville, Lucian Freud, and František Kupka She often works from life, drawing and painting people in her sketchbooks to better understand the relationships we have with our bodies, minds, and emotions.

She uses a variety of materials in her art, ranging from intuitive, abstract studies to emotionally charged oil and acrylic paintings and watercolors. Her goal is to celebrate what it means to be human through her artwork and to explore the complex, multifaceted nature of human identity. In her own words, ‘I want to understand as much as I can about what it means to be human and also sexuality. We are not just the image we present to the world. We are the minds and bodies that we inhabit. There are aspects that connect us all and we are also unique individuals. I moved into drawing and painting people because it is a celebration of this.’ Please note, this interview contains themes of sexual assault and may be upsetting for some readers.

Firstly, you were awarded the BADA Art Prize, 2022 for your piece, ‘Le prix d’etre une femme’ – could you tell me more about the process of creating this piece? You mentioned in our previous discussions, that it is made from generational lace?

The piece speaks of unwanted touch and is linked to a personal experience that happened in the summer of 2020. A friend had invited me to crash at their flat after a night out and as I was falling asleep, started to grab me. I ran to the bathroom to escape the situation and spent the rest of the night curled up in the foetal position on the floor. As I journeyed home that morning, I had the phrase “le prix d'être une femme” (the price of being a woman) playing in a loop in my head. That was the starting point of that piece; about non-consensual touch, an action that can happen to anyone, and how we grapple with the aftermath of those transgressions.

Coming from Brittany, where there is a long established tradition of lace making, lace is often passed on from each generation of the female line. I have always been drawn to the juxtaposition between the material; traditionally viewed as sacred, precious and delicate it is contrasted by its use in the erotic of today. Lace is almost synonymous with sex. It is in this intersection between the passing on of generation lace (generation trauma) and the hyper-sexualisation of the female form, that I found my own existence. My own body.

You can read more about my process for creating “le prix d’être une femme” here.

How do you explore a woman’s relationship with her body through your artwork?

This is a tricky one as it is THE question that I have been exploring since I started on my art journey in 2014. I am constantly asking myself “what does it mean to be a woman?” or “What is it to have a body - my body - and what I am doing with it?”. I have an urge to answer these questions but I cannot find the words so I turn my responses into a drawing, a painting, a fragment of text, a stitch, anything that will mark that moment; that thought.

I have also begun to contemplate how others interact with their bodies. It is quite fascinating to take the time to observe these relationships as an outsider and contrast them to my own. I believe, for example that drawing is touching from a distance. When you are drawing, you are creating your own meaning and perception of something, creating your own vocabulary.

What does the term ‘equality in all forms’ mean to you?

I believe in freedom for all.

I used to define myself as a humanist before realising it represented another form of inequality; the supremacy of humans over all species which made me deeply uncomfortable. I then struggled with the label “feminist” because of the (incorrect) assumption that it was anti-men, which again, didn’t fit with my belief of freedom for all. However, I began to educate myself that this assumption was a construct made by those who did not agree with the true meaning of being feminist…

Feminism is about fighting for equality and freedom for all, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or race.

I now proudly define myself as a feminist.

Many of your pieces depict a body or a face, but not often both. Are you maintaining anonymity for the people depicted or is there another reason for this?

I have an obsession with the human body – or rather more specifically, exploring the essence of what it means to be human.

The disconnect between depicting face and body is not something I intended to do at the outset but was more the result of how I honed my practice. Early on I was obsessed with portraiture, constantly asking those around me if I could draw them To my surprise, many were upset by how I saw them which caused me to turn inward to explore self-portraiture (there’s no one to disappoint!). At the same time, I began to learn about drawing bodies – I wanted to understand how they worked and represent them in the most accurate way possible; I was enthralled by anatomy and physiognomy and less about the ‘essence’ of sitters.

The result of these simultaneous studies has given my practice an almost two-track element which occasionally intersects When I work with portraiture, I am trying to capture the essence of someone, their personality, something both tangible and intangible When I'm working on a body, I am trying to evoke the sensation of the body's actions – it is not linked to a certain person; it is about the physical properties.

On a more recent note, the rise of censorship on social media has shown me that nudity without a face is perceived more as “art” and not explicit imagery to be banned… which is a whole other area ripe to explore.

Society seems to be reluctant to align female empowerment with sexuality, with a specific lack of respect in the media for women who express overt sexuality. How do you explore this in your work?

To understand female empowerment, you need to first look to male empowerment and the systems that support this enduring legacy To borrow from Simone de Beauvoir, women continue to be seen as the feeble sex and any attempt to assert their power is viewed as a threat to the established (male dominated) social structures.

The subject of many of my works, including “le prix d'être une femme”, seek to regain female empowerment through reclaiming sexuality in hopes of emancipating women from its historical control (i e centuries of shaming of sex work, abortion/contraception rights, FGM, sexual violence as a form of domination) For decades, society has been conditioned by binary systems that classify things as good or evil, right or wrong, black or white, despite the reality of living in a world of nuances.

Earlier on in my work I was determined to tackle this narrative through pure shock value – in your face, loud, disturbing, uncensored. However, I quickly learnt that his approach does not work; it is too much for most people and leaves them unreceptive to the messaging. I have now begun to explore using more subtle media but continue the same unsettling subject matter By using materials or techniques that appear antinomic, it is only on further inspection once the viewer is drawn in that the “shock” is observed For example, my piece “where I was raped” is a rug showing a sky view of the location and speaks to the rapport between time, memory, trauma and space. In the first instance, seeing the rug the viewer would not think much of it, maybe even feel comforted by the familiarity of the object but once you start reading the title and the text, you’re down the rabbit hole into the uncomfortable. You’re confronted. Part of the dialogue.

Please could you tell me about your project involving the embroidery of stockings?

This is an ongoing piece called “I am not one, but one of many” which seeks to explore the complexities of women’s relationships with their sexuality

Motivated by a want to explore experiences beyond my own, I begin by asking each sitter a series of questions about who they are, where they come from and how they came to discover their sexuality. As the discussion progress, I embroider their face on a stocking –emblematic of the intersection between traditional gender roles and modern ideals of sex. Again, just a face – a head without a body.

These interviews culminate with the ultimate question: when did you first became aware of your own sexuality, if you knew then what you know now, what would you have done differently?

By immortalising the interviewees response both through the weaves of the embroidery and their voice captured in the recordings, it holds these narratives in the “now”, creating a rich tapestry of shared experiences.

So far, I have interviewed about 30 women from different ages and social backgrounds. My intention is to continuously expand this project and welcome anyone interested in being part of this project to reach out.

You can find a sample of the interviews here.

Although there has been some progress, female artists are still underrepresented. Can you name some female artists you admire?

There are so many female artists that I admire and span a wide range of media. Apart from the now household names like Tracey Emin, Louise Bourgeois, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, and Jenny Saville, who have all been instrumental in paving the way for female representation, here are a few more women artists I admire:

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Annette Messager, Jane Haworth, Sally Mann, Sophie Calle, Judith Black, Emma Hopkins, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Eva Hesse

It is also worth mentioning that AWARE is a great platform to discover women artists from all periods, genres and cultures.

I do find it hard sometimes especially when talking to an older (mostly male) demographic as they often consider previously acceptable behaviours as “fine” and that I am being overly sensitive. I continue to feel a social pressure that I should be more resilient about my trauma or just keep quiet about the narratives I engage with. However, there are occasionally cathartic moments when I identify that, in that instance, I am forcing a perpetrator to consider the consequences of their actions and that they feel as exposed as I have.

Your work is highly personal to you. What is it like sharing your experiences with the wider public and is this something that you find difficult?

It is something that has progressively become easier and easier. In some ways, I am not sharing those stories for me but for others. I want to tell people that they are not alone and that we can make a silver lining from the cloud that hangs over us. I am sharing my stories so that people will listen and hope to create awareness.

How do you explore the multifaceted nature of humanity though the different media employed in your artwork?

I like to think that the variation in media across my work is a reflection of the multifaceted nature of my own humanity.

I am fascinated by the unanswerable question of what drove humans to begin creating representations –both realistic and abstract – of life around them. Where did this urge come from and is it the same urge I identify in myself? I have yet to understand what drives my own want to use drawing, painting and textiles to explore my own ephemerality.

There is a constant need to explore the limits (if there are indeed any) to my artistic practice, all the while questioning why I want to keep learning more techniques – discover new things, push myself, fail, improve, fail again, experiment further. I have come to completely embrace the exploration of the interconnectedness of medium and messaging as part of my practice as opposed to a means to an end.

You can view Rosalie’s work from the 22nd of September 2023 at the Courtauld Institute. The VS1 iteration of the East Wing Biennial will showcase embodiment. With works from London Based Gallery Piano Nobile's Ruth Borchard's nextgeneration collection and emerging artists, VS1 will draw on the legacy of Joshua Compston, who's innovative thinking built the foundations for such a longstanding Courtauld Tradition Book HERE

The Makers Series: Claude Venard

Renowned for his vivid and vibrant works, French post-Cubist painter Claude Venard brought a palpable and compelling joie de vivre to his oeuvre which continues to resonate with new audiences the world over.

Born in 1913, Venard enrolled in the Ecole des Arts Appliques, Paris at age 17, where he began to develop his charismatic style. In order make ends meet, Claude supplemented his studies by working as a restorer at the Louvre, work which also provided valuable experience for his blossoming talents.

In the mid-1930s, Venard found a common cause in the Forces Nouvelles movement, an association of painters founded in Paris in 1934, led by Jacques Despierre, Robert Humblot and Georges Rohner.

Dedicated to revitalizing the French art scene, Forces Nouvelles shunned Impressionism, Cubism and Surrealism, instead championing a return to strict principles of craftsmanship and the vigour of modern life.

In 1938 Claude participated in their first exhibition of the Forces Nouvelles at Galerie Billiet-Worms. An interesting example of his work from this period can be seen here in the Galerie Pompidou Collection, Paris.

By the outbreak of World War II, the influence of the Forces Nouvelles was already on the wain and Venard rebelled against the movement. Instead, in 1943, Claude became a founding member of the Salon de Mai, an influential group of artists united against Nazi ideology, a high-risk endeavour in German occupied Paris.

Salon de Mai was an enthusiastic promoter of Avant-garde painters and during this period Claude began to experiment with a new post-Cubist style and bold geometric aesthetic that would bring him unprecedented success

It was not simply the manner of Venard’s works that attracted interest but the execution too as the artist embraced a richer, more intense colour palette, often applied liberally with a palette knife to enhance the drama of his paintings.

The evolution of his style is well illustrated by Venard’s mid-1950s work Nature Morte, housed in the permanent collection of the Tate Gallery, London. Acclaim came quickly for Claude and over the next 40 years he was able to enjoy solo exhibitions in Paris, London, Tokyo, New York and throughout the USA

Venard passed away at his home in France in 1999 but his work remains as popular today as at any point in his lifetime Prominent works can be seen at the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Kunstmuseum Basel and the Tokyo Musuem of Modern Art.

Objects of Desire

Every month, we take a look objects or reference points that have taken our interest or inspired us creatively.

1.

Lately I have been fascinated the 19th and early 20 revival in being ‘ en vogue’ by anyone and this any outfit

They also can convey form you can think of prawns? Arrow heads?

And the price-point? affordability making collect.

This particular example out and about in the cornflower blue sapphire century 18ct gold stick almost octopus-like,

Recommended by BADA Managing Director, Ashley

genderless. A lot of vintage clothing items charm that breaks traditional gender norms, making them accessible to individuals of all gender identities. They promote diversity and equality by celebrating the beauty of individuality and selfexpression.

I found this black corduroy suit at a vintage shop in Tokyo and have been in love with it ever since. As a huge fan of vintage oversized suits, I am very glad to witness the transformation of this traditional formal attire that was often tailored for men into a popular choice for all genders They are very versatile and can be effortlessly adapted to different styles and occasions, from a chic casual look to a bold fashion statement.

Recommended by team member, Tingshan

In an era when extremist politicians utilise division, bigotry, and fear to manipulate the emotions of disaffected voters, Primo Levi’s 1947 memoir ‘If This Is a Man’ provides a powerful reminder of the essential values of compassion and humanity.

The first autobiographical publication on the Holocaust, the novel begins with Primo’s arrest as a member of the antifascist resistance in Italy in December 1943. After a brief internment in Moderna, Levi is transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he remained incarcerated until the camps eventual liberation by Soviet forces in January 1945

Primo began writing the novel less than a year after his return to Italy and the resulting work is a profoundly vivid, and intensely poignant reflection on one of the darkest chapters in human history Despite the horror of his experiences, Levi’s writing avoids any tone of anger or resentment, instead faithfully recounting events with a remarkable sense of hope and empathy throughout.

Usually sold in combination with his later work ‘The Truce’, an equally compelling read which covers the authors incredible journey home via the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. ‘If This Is a Man’ is one of the most important novels of the 20th century and its message remains every bit as vital today

Recommended by team member, Martin

Upcoming Events

Founded in 1998, the Young Friends aims to provide a social and intellectual introduction to the world of fine art and antiques. Join the Young Friends membership here

BADA Week November 2023

BADA Week 2023 is a nation-wide, gallery-based and online series of events to celebrate the diverse and outstanding community the BADA represents. We want to highlight the benefit of visiting our members’ galleries, exhibition spaces, collections and specialities in person with an exciting offering of events both in person and online. For information on participating dealers and to view the full programme, please listen out for further announcements.

A

Young BADA Friends Introduction Series to:

Kintsugi for Beginners with Sujin Jung.

Join Sujin Jung, professional ceramic and related materials conservator for an enjoyable evening of Kintsugi restoration. Sujin will teach you about the beautiful art of “joining with gold”, an ageold art which embraces the beauty of flaws and celebrates fragility.View more information and book tickets click here.

Location: BADA Offices, First Floor, 21 John Street, WC1N 2BF.

Date and Time: 26th of October, 6:30pm -8:30pm.

£40

Photo by Motoki Tonn on Unsplash

Indigenous Artists

There are 476 million Indigenous peoples around the world, across more than 90 countries. There are 4,000 languages spoken across these individuals that make up approximately 5% of the world population. More and more, we are looking to indigenous populations for guidance as to how to care for our dying planet. The reality is that the sacred and diverse land from which we want to learn is directly linked to the identity of Indigenous peoples- of which we are destroying and abusing. Indigenous populations are treated as second class citizens. They are actively threatened by discrimination and withholding citizenship. They are also threatened by eviction, as well as their natural assets being removed, such as minerals, timber, water and agricultural land. ‘Conservationists’ frequently evict Indigenous populations in the aid of ‘protecting natural spaces’, when it is widely known that Indigenous people care greatly for their land. In fact, the land that Indigenous peoples live on is home to over 80% of our planet’s biodiversity and is rich in natural resources, such as oil, gas, timber and minerals. More than 20% of the carbon stored above ground in the world’s forests is found on land managed by Indigenous peoples in the Amazon basin, MesoAmerica, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia. Human rights abuse related to their land rights and culture, have prompted growing numbers of Indigenous peoples to leave their traditional lands for towns and cities. Cut off from resources and traditions vital to their welfare and survival, many Indigenous peoples face even greater marginalization, poverty, disease and violence and sometimes, extinction as people.

Indigenous peoples are often defined by their cultural identity, traditional lands, resources and biodiversity. Indigenous peoples would identify themselves as such. They have a historical link with their country or region at the time when people of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived. They are linked to their territories and natural resources, and they have distinct social, economic and political beliefs. They also have distinct language, culture and beliefs. They are dedicated to maintaining their ancestral environments and systems. Indigenous people often have their intellectual and cultural property, such as stories, artworks and histories, exploited and cannot gain compensation, without a legal framework for their ownership. They are also denied legal avenues and often do not receive charitable funding or support, as well as development funding.

Indigenous women are negatively impacted by the frustration and anger felt by their communities and often suffer abuse. They experience higher rates of maternal mortality, teenage pregnancy and STI’s. 2,000 poor indigenous and campesino women were allegedly sterilized without their consent by state authorities in Peru in the 1990’s. On 22nd January 2014, the Public Prosecutors office in Lima closed their case and denied them justice. Indigenous peoples have an average life expectancy of 20 years less than the general population.

Information and facts taken from Amnesty International and Greenpeace UK:

Indigenous Peoples - Amnesty International Peoples | Greenpeace UK

Kangaroo totemic ancestor - Bark paintingKunwinjku. Provenance : Alligator River, Arnhem Land, Noni, Australia.

Anli Genu

Anli Genu is from the Meihua tribe of Atayal in Hsinchu Jianshi Township of Taiwan. There are officially 16 recognised subgroups of Indigenous tribes in Taiwan. Culture and artistic practices are highly important and celebrated within the community of approximately 569,000 peoples in the subgroups of the Indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Each groups has its own culture and social structure, making for a rich variety of art, music and crafts. The recognised tribes are Amis, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, Puyuma, Rukai, Tsou, Saisiyat, Yami, Thao, Kavalan, Truku, Sakizaya, Sediq, Hla’alua and Kanakanavu. It is important for artists, such as Anli to preserve and raise awareness of their culture and this is particularly evident in The Pulima Art Festival, which has been held regularly since 2012 as a showcase of Aboriginal and Indigenous art. The meaning of Pulima is ‘creative or highly skilled people’ and The Pulima Art Festival is the biggest art event in Taiwan.

Image: A wall in Beijing Niu Jie (Cow Street), across the street from the Niujie Mosque, decorated with a blocklong poster depicting all 56 ethnic groups (including Han), forming according to the poster's title, "The great united family of peoples"

The meaning of Atayal (Anli’s tribe) translates to ‘brave people’ or ‘real people’. Anli’s mixed media work depicts scenes, symbols and portraits which communicate both his rich cultural heritage and the Christian faith that he practices as a pastor, alongside being an artist The bright colours and contemporary and abstract forms of Anli’s work communicates his enthusiasm for the history of Indigenous tribes to be carried through to the modern day. Anli has a passion for artifacts and ancient civilisations running through his practice, having studied Ancient Inca Civilization and artifacts.

Katherine Takpannie

Katherine Takpannie is an Urban Inuk, who was born in Montreal. Her family originates from Nunavut and she is a proud alumni of Nunavut Sivuniksavut programme in Ottowa. Her photography highlights her interest and knowledge around the Nunavut Agreement and its implementation, political science, research, Inuitgovernment relations and Inuit history.

Katherine’s works explore motifs, ideologies and beliefs from Inuit history. Katherine creates visual representations of such ideas, in the present day Her photographs capture moments in her performance art and political gestures. Through adorning her subjects’ bodies with costumes and situating them in what many see today as treacherous and uninviting landscapes, Katherine communicates how her culture has been disrupted by external factors, such as global warming, politics and racism. The world has become alienated from the earth, with which her people still hold a deep connection Urban Inuks strive to maintain and rebuild their relationships with the land and their ancestors.

Katherine’s series titled ‘Raven’, explores The Raven as a figure in Inuit creation stories In the Inuit creation story, the Raven was the first inhabitant of the world and created man, accidentally, when he sprouted from a pea pod The raven is known to be a transformer and a trickster On purpose or not, the raven initiates change. In this work, Katherine depicts the raven, half human, half bird, looking out at the ice caps, slowly melting The image communicates the potential for change and that hope still remains within tradition. As the Raven was never seen as a god, as a symbol, the raven expresses the potential of those who inhabit the land, to act as a catalyst for change

Within her work, Katherine tackles other issues such as violence towards Indigenous women. Her work is a call to action to examine underlying social, economic, cultural, institutional, and historical causes for so many women going missing and being harmed or murdered. In her photographs, women are holding colored flares, to make them stand out prominently in a vastly white, wooded background, to show that they should be made visible. In Canada on 4th October, the day is dedicated to honoring the lives of lost indigenous women and to support grieving communities.

Image: Iglulingmiut Inuit women and child in traditional parkas.

The homeland of the Maori was first in Hawaiki, which was much warmer than where they moved to in Aotearoa. There, they had to learn quickly, how to weave items such as cloaks, mats, baskets and fishing nets Harakeke (also known as New Zealand Flax) was the widely used material and the craft was mostly carried out by skilled women.

Atareta Rerekohu Black

Atareta Rerekohu Black is a Maori artist who uses traditional materials to create contemporary net pieces and installations. Through her practice, Atareta explores her relationship to the ocean (moana), taiao (earth) and whenua (land), following the tradition of her ancestors. The Maori term, Whakapapa, speaks to a Maori individual's dedication to lineage and genealogy. By creating the nets in different forms and displaying them in a gallery space, they are highlighted as objects of beauty, significant due to their cultural importance, as well as practicality and aesthetic qualities.

Māori rain cape ( paki ) made out of shredded Phormium tenax ( harakeke ), with outer layers of curdled twills and flat tags made from Cordyline australis

Yaritji Young is a Pitjantjatjara woman, from Pukatja. She was born in 1956 within the community of Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands. Her work, which mainly consists of paintings, is often created collaboratively, with her sisters. Yaritji’s work is gestural and spiritually driven and it strives to communicate with younger generations and to translate the traditions of her people. Yaritji’s work depicts the tunnels and formations made by the honey ant, that is sacred to her people. She also includes images of dance and ‘dreaming’ icons. ‘The Dreaming’ are stories told my Pitjantjatjara people and many other Indigenous peoples, as creation stories about how the world and animals came to be. Unlike other creation stories, ‘The Dreaming’ does not involve stories told retrospectively, but rather they believe that the stories are all around them and that time is cyclical The honey ant is part of The Dreaming and they are regularly foraged as sweet bush food. It is important for the ants not to be harmed when the honey is collected. The ants are often found below the local Mulga trees and the map-like lines can also be seen as the trees roots. The colours used in Yaritji’s paintings are joyous, communicating the vibrancy of her people

Yaritji Young

"My paintings are of my country; my father's country, my grandmother's country, the tjala country. Everything that my grandmother taught me, I'm teaching to my children now. They dance because I have shared what I got from my grandmother with my granddaughters , so they can know their culture."

Yaritji Young, Short Street Gallery

Ken Sisters, Viewers of the Know My Name exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

Collector’s Cohort

Your Guide to collecting from the leading Trade Association in fine art, design and antiques. This month, we provide you with useful terms and concepts you may need when navigating the world of restoration…

Restoration is a practice concerned with bringing items close to a known or assumed original state. It also involves the removal of later additions or the recreation of missing parts There is often a focus on improving the appearance or function of the item. Restoration is prevalent in the commercial sectors and the process can often be governed by the expectations and requirements of the owner of the item , who has preconceived ideas about what it should look like. Sometimes, additions are added to an item (such as re-lining a painting), in order to improve the durability of an item. Equally, sometimes historical markers can be removed, either to improve the appearance, or alternatively, because an alternative or more modern process can be used to conserve the item. For example, the use of nails to secure a painting into a frame used to be common-place, however we now know this can cause structural damage. It can be the case that restorers are more inclined to use materials that they are familiar with and achieve a satisfying result, rather than trying to maintain the historical integrity of a piece, by using more traditional materials and techniques.

Conservation Foxing

Foxing is an extremely common occurrence in works on paper, including antique books, maps, watercolours, prints, drawings and posters. It is often caused by too high humidity or fluctuations in temperature. It can also be caused by acidic backing boards or acidic paper used for wrapping and storage. Foxing takes the appearance of freckle like, brown spots and can quickly worsen over time. It can be treated by professional conservators who will clean the artwork in a tailored solution, to lift the staining and prevent the foxing from reoccurring.

Conservation and restoration are not mutually exclusive terms. Restoration and Conservation practices can be combined in order to provide the best treatment plan for an item. Restoration is a much more sophisticated approach today and can often cross over with conservation practices. Actions carried out by conservators often involve environmental control, cleaning and stabilization, to ensure long term preservation and to manage change. Conservators aim to conserve an item with layers of significance, acquired over time. Noninvasive procedures are preferred, that do not impede future examination or analysis, treatments or functionality.

I - Sant'Eustorgio - Sottocoro - Restauratrice - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto - 1-Mar-2007

Condition Report

A condition report is a highly important document to consider, when buying, selling or conserving an item. It can be produced to cover various levels of detail, from the documentation of a visual inspection of a painting (including tears, blanching and paint loss), through to more intensive technical analysis, including technical photography (Ultraviolet fluorescence, Infrared Reflectography, False Colour Infrared, Photomicrographs and X Radiography), pigment analysis, cross section analysis and historic context. A condition report can also help to establish if restoration has been carried out previously and with a painting, if there are areas of over paint detectable. A condition report can be essential for insurance purposes, collection management and research purposes.

Lining & Re-lining

When purchasing an oil painting, it is important to consider how a painting has been treated and if applicable, conserved. This will give you a better idea of its condition, as well an idea of how to care for it. Lining and re-lining are structural treatments, frequently used in the past to address tears, flaking and lifting paint, as well as failing tacking margins In the past, conservators would hire separate ‘lining’ professionals to carry out this treatment, which often lead to heavy handling of paintings, as well as further issues caused by the intervention of lining. Lining required the canvas to be removed from the stretcher and the moisture from the glue could cause issues with the paint layer in the future. Issues such as lifting and flaking paint are now mostly treated with localised consolidation treatments and tears are addressed by thread by thread bonding and the application of patches. If a canvas is deteriorating significantly, a strip-lining treatment can be carried out, which involves a strip of canvas being applied to the edges of the painting, so that it can be safely and securely restretched onto the stretcher bars. It is important to note that works on paper are often re-lined, with non-acidic materials, to provide structure and support.

Patina is a term that is difficult to avoid when discussing antiques. It is most common on metal or wooden items and can be described as a tarnishing, caused by age, wear and polishing. It is important to note that it is a normal occurrence and the change in surface texture and colour of an item is common. Copper, brass and bronze items often develop a patina, produced by oxidation or other chemical processes. The patination of copper and bronze items is green and is known as verdigris. Archeologists often look at patina in respect of the corticated layers of flint and ancient stones, caused by numerous external factors. This is also known as cortification. There are many benefits to patina, such as it can act as a protective layer and can also be aesthetically pleasing It can also be used to assess whether an item is genuine. Wooden furniture, for example, becomes rich and deep in color, with a luster and sheen. It is important to know that patina can be imitated. An object can be ‘distressed’ for added decoration or to simulate antiquity in a modern item. A true patina is valuable.

Historic Integrity

Patina

Maintaining the historic integrity of an object is important for dealers and collectors alike. In order to maintain the historic integrity of a piece, one must have an appreciation of its significance, within a historical contextualization. A dealer often has the job of understanding the provenance of an object, by researching its ownership, custodians, previous locations and previous care. Maintaining the historical integrity of a piece can include giving consideration to its restoration and conservation. As previously discussed, the patina of an item is an important aspect to maintaining its integrity and it is equally important to give consideration to aspects such as re-upholstery in furniture pieces. It can also include the choices made in how to display an item, such as plinths and stands. It is important for the intentions of the artist, craftsman or sculptor to be considered, so that the piece is maintained to be in the condition in which it was created Achieving historical integrity for an object, is a constant balance between integrity and condition, as sometimes an item becomes at risk of losing its integrity, if its condition is deteriorating. A deteriorating item often requires intervention and therefore it is open to adjustments, amendments and additions. It is important to maintain historic integrity for the purpose of investment value

A Pash & Sons. Art Deco period bronze with green patina. (Bada.org)

Blanching

Blanching is a fairly common occurrence that happens to paintings and furniture also It’s appearance can be quite worrying, as it presents as a previously clear, or transparent surface, such as varnish, turning white and cloudy. It can also be more subtle and cause a slight clouding or frosting of the surface. Blanching is caused by moisture becoming trapped under the surface of varnish. This could be due to an escape of water or humidity. Blanching can only be resolved, through removing the varnish and re-applying a sympathetic and modern coat. Blanching can be caused with furniture, when vases or hot kitchenware are placed on the surface without a protective barrier. It is important to note that an object that presents with blanching, should not be dismissed, as the issue can be addressed by a professional conservator.

Craquelure

Craquelure is s ‘crocodile like’ pattern of cracking, which can occur across the surface of a painting and can also occur with ceramics. The most common cause of craquelure is aging. Over time, the chemical composition of a painting and its many layers, can cause reactions that lead to cracking in different formations, depending on the techniques involved. Cracks can form following direct impact, changes in temperature and humidity, changes to the canvas support and loosening of the canvas, as well as oxidization. Premature craquelure can be caused by inadequate canvas preparation, as well as poor drying techniques. Some collectors enjoy the appearance of craquelure, as it shows the age of a painting, whereas sometimes, when it becomes distracting, they may choose to have craquelure sympathetically re-touched.

Cleaning

The cleaning of an antique is required to be extremely sensitive and advice from a professional is recommended before you proceed. The cleaning of a painting is much more complicated than it might appear There are different levels of cleaning that a conservator can carry out on a painting. Initially, surface level cleaning will be carried out, to remove surface level dirt and dust. This is often carried out with a saliva swab. The second stage would be a varnish removal, where a chemical, such as acetone can be used to gently remove the varnish, whilst not disturbing the paint layer. A varnish removal can often reveal overpaint (aspects that have been painted at a later date) or previous damage and restoration attempts.

Exhibition Details

Hauser & Wirth, 23 Savile Row, London, W1S 2ET

• Private View: 16 August 18:00 - 20:00 (Free and open to all, no booking required)

• Exhibition: 17 August - 12 September 2023 Opening Hours: Tues - Sat 10:00 - 18:00

A Day in the Life of…

The Bird-beaked Headdress and the Tsantas

By Beth Hodges

The museum rests in slumber, with just the soft, distant humming of the hoover in the foyer to be heard If you listen close, you can hear the building breathing The banisters above contract and expand, a rib cage, the stairs like arthritic bones. I am relishing the subdued lighting, before the main lights are switched on and the ground floor is illuminated by a yellow-ish glare, that bounces off my brittle cabinet. Dust particles drift through the singular red beam, emitted by the security device, fitted to the display opposite me. I watch them scatter and settle, as a gust of wind blows through a door at the far end of the room The silence is broken when the door slams shut and the whole building seems to ache and groan.

I beg for the collection curators to take notice of me soon Constant jostling from groups of school children has led me to be balanced rather precariously on my plinth. The tip of my beak is leant forward, grazing the glass and I rock back and forth in time with any slight movement in proximity I could also do with a good clean. The intricate designs, etched across my entire surface are becoming embedded with dirt and dust and it does not do me justice If visitors looked past my morbid expression and lifeless eyes, they could perhaps see the secrets I hold and the life I have lived.

My people, the Ejagham, or Ekoi as I like to call them, used me regularly. In my past, in southeastern Nigeria, I would not have been left on display, but rather worn with pride in ceremonial plays. I was more than a bird-beaked headdress and my nsibidi kept the secrets of my society. Centuries old codes, embedded in my wood grain. I am the only one of my kind, here in this museum, although I know there are many just like me in Cuba. My people were taken into slavery across the Atlantic and, in Cuba, our drums and headdresses are still treasured as items of beauty. When I was first brought to the confines of this strange space, I wondered if I might be offered to Obassi Osaw, as an attempt to protect my people. I would rather be drawn into the ground by Nsi, as a symbol of her power, than to be frozen here. Lost in time.

Headdress, Nigeria | Pitt Rivers Museum (ox.ac.uk) Image courtesy of the Pitt Rivers Museum

It is no wonder that I am not spared a glance, when the heads are situated, opposite me The holy grail of the museum, people travel far and wide to gaze at their leather skin and greying pallor. We are made to be seen as amulets of the morbid, artefacts of the savage. If only they knew, that once, I was held in the hands of Ntuifam Etek, who marvelled at my beauty, before I was handed over to a member, who wore me throughout the village, enforcing the law

I avert my gaze to the heads. Poised, with their chins raised and engorged lips parted, they appear to be in deep contemplation. Tufts of hair, graze the lids of their eyes, thin and wispy, parted and hanging loose down to their perch Many more visitors than usual have visited the heads this month- their noses pressed against the glass An invasion. They persevere against the onslaught of unwelcome guests, their gaze uninterrupted. When the lights go out, they do not whisper a word Not to each other and they do not entertain me. We do not know what language they speak and we do not ask.

Over the years, I have heard the solemn tale of the heads evolve Imprisoned within the title ‘Treatment of Dead Enemies’, those who come from outside the museum, have only had bad things to say. The terms ‘brutal’ and ‘primitive’ ring in the air and before now, I too believed that these heads were symbols of violence and trophies of savagery. That was until one day, I cared to listen The chiefs of the museum came, a few months ago, and huddled around the heads in their vitrine Hunched over eachother, peering over shoulders, to steal a glimpse of the hollow craniums, as though they had not been situated there for centuries. In hushed tones, they murmured ‘We got it wrong’, with whisperings of ‘rituals’ and ‘poor mans grave’. Over time, I have pieced together why, the heads aren’t talking.

Tsantas is the name given to these mishappen artefacts by the Shuar and Achuar people, in Ecuador and Peru. They are not trophies of war, but rather vessels of the Muisak soul that they were striving to yield. The avenging soul, the Muisak, was believed to be deeply powerful and everything was done to contain it in the head. The molded skin was rubbed with charcoal, the lips sewn shut. The heads were worked and shaped, made malleable by hot sand, poured inside again and again The heads were celebrated and rituals welcomed them into the family. Three individual ritualshuge markers of celebration- were carried out to celebrate the power of the soul and eventually, the power was transferred, in part, to the women, hoping that they would be blessed with good harvesting and bountiful gardens.

That was until, the others came. The others took home the tsantas, as mementos and curios As a symbol of all that they believed the Shuar and Achuar people to be, which was plainly barbaric Like me, the tsantas were treasured by their people and their value was demonstrated in their use as currency, when in need of spear heads and guns.

I have wondered, whether the reason that the heads do not speak, is that the soul trapped inside, is not permitted to communicate, having been sealed shut inside its own carcass. Or perhaps, the muisak has been expelled, during the final ritual. These days, I lean towards the idea that the heads are not true, and were made from the bodies of those too poor to be laid to rest or the deceased who had yet to leave the mortuary. In such a case, the spirits would be untethered and drifting in a distant land

Either way, we cannot give a voice, to those we do no understand.