Sonia Boyce's Shift from Representation to Collaboration Examined
In Afterall Journal 49, Cayo Honorato examines the transformation of Sonia Boyce's artistic journey, tracing her shift from early figurative pieces addressing race and gender to collaborative endeavors that began in the 1990s. Boyce's initial pastel works critiqued the experiences of black British women during the empire. Her subsequent creations, such as 'For You, Only You' (2007) and 'Exquisite Cacophony' (2015), blend Dada influences and scat singing, while 'Paper Tiger Whisky Soap Theatre' (2016) and 'We Move in Her Way' (2017) showcase negotiated authorship. Honorato highlights two key shifts in Boyce's work: moving from political commentary to linguistic exploration and from engaging viewers to fostering collaboration, while also addressing the 2018 debate surrounding J.W. Waterhouse's 'Hylas and the Nymphs.'
Key facts
- Essay published in Afterall Journal 49 on 8 April 2020
- Written by Cayo Honorato
- Analyzes Sonia Boyce's shift from figurative works to participatory projects since the 1990s
- Boyce's early works address race and gender through pastel drawings and photomontages
- Later works include 'For You, Only You' (2007), 'Exquisite Cacophony' (2015), 'Paper Tiger Whisky Soap Theatre' (2016), 'We Move in Her Way' (2017), 'Six Acts' (2018)
- Boyce draws on Dada and scat singing in her collaborative pieces
- Essay references Eddie Chambers, Sophie Orlando, Claire Bishop, Grant Kester, Jean Fisher
- Boyce's work maintains continuity through performative elements and collage
- Controversy over removal of Waterhouse's 'Hylas and the Nymphs' at Manchester Art Gallery in 2018 is discussed
- Boyce is a professor at University of the Arts London since 2014
Entities
Artists
- Sonia Boyce
- Mikhail Karikis
- David Skinner
- Alamire
- Lasana Shabazz
- Ira Aldridge
- Eddie Chambers
- Sophie Orlando
- Claire Bishop
- Grant Kester
- Jean Fisher
- Stuart Hall
- Paul Gilroy
- W.E.B. Du Bois
- Kobena Mercer
- Allison Thompson
- Marie-Anne McQuay
- Zoë Shearman
- Katie McCabe
- Liese Van der Watt
- Josquin Desprez
- J.W. Waterhouse
- Sarah Lucas
- Okwui Enwezor
- Nicolas Bourriaud
Institutions
- Afterall
- Manchester Art Gallery
- Institute of International Visual Arts
- University of the Arts London
- Institute for Contemporary Arts London
- Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art
- University of Oxford
- Venice Biennale
- CAPES (Brazil)
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Manchester
- Venice
- Italy
- Berlin
- Germany
- Oxford
- Dijon
- France
Sources
- Afterall —