2020
Bronze
Ed. of 25
50.8 x 8.3 x 9.5 cm / 20 x 3 1/4 x 3 3/4 in

‘Major social change has never happened without the voices and contributions of artists and cultural leaders. Simone’s work makes visible and palpable the subjectivity of Black women, whose experiences and leadership have always been central to struggles for liberation nationally and globally.’—Rashad Robinson, President, Color Of Change

Recognizable within Leigh’s sculptural language is the tradition of referencing early African American forms. In this new body of work, Leigh is informed by a vital sculptural tradition of West and South African provenance. This can be seen in the sculptural custom of combining the body with tools, creating carved hybrid forms which often function as spiritual or ceremonial objects.

Leigh turns to the material culture of these regions through the examination of everyday objects. Her work explores the physical and figurative transformation that occurs through their repeated use, and the stories revealed through a person’s interaction with the object. ‘Sentinel IV’ does not buttress the idea that Black women are innately strong and invulnerable, working instead to abstract their formal characteristics. This form exists in a category described in West African Art as a power object, something that acts either through formal significance or ritual use.

Leigh’s practice is informed by her ongoing exploration of Black femme subjectivity, and her objects often employ materials and forms traditionally associated with African and African American art and material culture. Through her investigations of visual overlaps between cultures, time periods, and geographies, she confronts and examines assumptions about the female body, race, beauty, and community.