Nari Ward Church Floor

Artist nari ward reflects on the objects and memories that made him ahead of the nari ward.

Nari ward church floor. Doubling as a hiding place for the underground railroad this church had breathing holes drilled into its floor in the form of a kongo cosmogram a diamond bisected. Ward first saw these symbols cut into the floorboarding of the first african baptist church in savannah georgia. Andrew jamaica and moved to new york new york as a child. Oriented center 2015 oak wood copper sheet copper nails darkening patina in two parts each 48 by 120 inches courtesy the artist and lehmann maupin new.

We the people is a large show that expands on all of these ideas and artistic strategies. He is inspired by art history and folk traditions. We the people august 16 november 30 2019 exhibition overview the artist nari ward was born in st. Series of mostly two dimensional works is based on a distinctive pattern of breathing holes that ward discovered in the floor of a savannah ga church that had been a stop on the underground railroad.

The church founded by formerly enslaved people in the 18th century was an important stop on the underground railroad and the symbols served as breathing holes for runaway slaves who were forced to take refuge under the floorboards. The series is named breathing panels because runaway slaves hid under the floor to hide from slave hunters and were able to breathe through. Ward collects humble and discarded materials from his neighborhood harlem and repurposes them in surprising ways. We the people exhibition at the new museum from february 13 to may 26.

Active as an artist since the early 90s ward has created countless large scale sculptures and imposing provocative installations many of which involve found objects and complex layers of historical and contemporary references. Nari ward carpet angel 1992 carpet plastic bags plastic bottles carpet runner springs wood screws and rope 230 x 238 x 36 inches photo by the author for hyperallergic. Ward first found the design cut into the wood floor of the first african baptist church in savannah ga where people escaping to the north via the underground railroad hid during daylight. Ward first saw this symbol punctured in the floorboards of the first african baptist church which was a church founded by former slaves in georgia that served as a stop on the underground railroad.