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Nari Ward: Carpet Angel
Sarah Whittle and
Jason Wang
April 10, 2019
CARPET ANGEL, 1993
Carpet Angel, 1993
- The title of the piece is "Carpet Angel" which directly correlates to the subject matter of the work which is an angel made from carpet and garbage bags
- It was created for Nari Ward's first solo exhibition at the old New Museum on Broadway
THEMES
- Religion- Spiritual Iconography- Angel
- Harlem- Addressing its gentrification, as well as representing that dreams can still come from these humble origins
MATERIALS
MATERIALS
What was used?
What Materials were used?
- Carpet
- Plastic bottles
- Furniture springs
- Garbage bags
What does it mean?
Nari Ward made "Carpet Angel" out of the aforementioned found materials to restore the transcendence that came from humble origins, even with Harlem's gentrification at the time. Although being made of found material itself, the angel is still able to rise above the debris that it came from (its origins) and still take a form resembling a spiritual ascension.
Where did he get them?
Where did he get these objects?
Ward was living in Harlem at the time and decided he would use the neighborhood as his inspiration for his first exhibition.
Ward traveled around the neighborhood collecting discarded waste materials.
When Ward originally moved into his new studio in Harlem, he was able to scavenge a lot of carpet scraps from the studio's previous tenant.
How were they changed?
How were they changed?
Carpet scraps were cut up and used to form concentric circles, woven together using plastic deli bags among other refuse.
A multi-colored woven net was suspended from the ceiling and stretched to resemble an angel's wings.
Plastic bottles were ripped
Carpet springs were collected in small plastic bowls