Brett Day Windham: I Put A Spell On You
I Put a Spell on You: Brett Day Windham
Sculptor and installation artist Brett Day Windham transforms a UMMA gallery with works that evoke the mythic and magical. In Sleepwalking Circus (pictured) the artist has hand-constructed a red and white carnival tent that serves as an immersive environment in which to view her stop-motion video. This portrays the artist as alchemist in the theatrical world of the studio. Two freestanding sculptures, Floating Harlequin and Braided Ellegua serve as gatekeepers to the tent. The artist interprets the dramatic and nimble harlequin – a character often depicted throughout the history of art – as a ghostlike form with painted black and white diamond patterns. The mysterious draped form hovers slightly above the floor, an arrow extending through its head. Braided Ellegua is constructed out of colored hair extensions that Windham has meticulously braided and stitched together. The mystifying and playful Ellegua, a deity viewed as a trickster throughout African diasporic faiths, resonates with the artist.
Rosary is a garland-like strand created from objects found by the artist over a three-year period during walks to her various studios. Self-imposed written rules define the process by which she collects the sometimes familiar, sometimes confounding, urban discards. Windham received her BA from Hampshire College and MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Windham received her BA from Hampshire College and MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
