Alexis Peskine, Séetal, 2024. White and black paint, archival varnish, 24k gold leaf and nails on wood, 150 x 111 cm.
October Gallery presents Forest Figures, a much-anticipated solo exhibition of new works by Alexis Peskine. This, the artist’s third show at October Gallery, will intersect with the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, taking place at Somerset House, in London, from 10th – 13th October.
Forest Figures delves into the rich, healing powers inherent in ancestral African spirituality; exploring deeper aspects of interiorised abundance and wellbeing found amongst the individual figures he portrays to represent the diversity of the African diaspora. Peskine’s large-scale mixed media ‘portraits’ are rendered by hammering nails of different gauge, with pin-point accuracy, into wooden ‘canvases’. He links these extraordinary portraits to the spiritually charged Minkisi ‘power figures’ of the Congo Basin. The application of Japanese oxidised gold, silver and palladium leaf to the heads of the nails lends a luminous quality to each work.
Inspired by Afro-Brazilian spirituality, Peskine draws upon attributes and aspects of the Orishas – or spirits – which act as a conceptual framework underpinning these recent works. Deriving from one of Africa’s oldest spiritual traditions, the polytheistic Yoruba belief system, the divine Orisha spirits were carried to the Americas and Caribbean islands as part of the Black cultural diaspora and are still widely honoured within the syncretic belief systems of Santeria, Candomblé and Vodou, today. Peskine’s new works show an expansion of his creative process, employing the natural forms of tree trunks, leaf patterns and shells. Some of these works adopt the form and white colour of the cowrie shell – an integral part of the iFá divination ritual – symbolising the prophetic ‘mouth of the Orisha’. Although considered a spiritual object, the cowrie has many historical links to trade and currency. White is also a colour traditionally linked to peace, spiritual cleansing and renewal.
Many aspects of Peskine’s sustained investigation of the Black Experience can be seen in his selection of materials and colours: for instance, his use of Indigo pigment is a direct reference to its production by enslaved Caribbean labourers. Traces of the natural world can be sensed in the leafy shapes stained with spiritually significant herbs including rosemary, basil, mint and macassar. The rich profusion of overlain colours and materials builds to create a complex visual narrative charged with the echoes of centuries of exploitation.
In one work, Peskine deploys Botticelli’sscallop shell from The Birth of Venus as a way of subverting how western aesthetic norms continue to define global standards of beauty. Similarly, he reclaims the oval form of 18th century upper class portraits, transforming them into celebrations of the beauty and striking individuality of those of the African diaspora. The exhibition will also include new photographic works and a segment from REVERSE, an emotive apocalyptic film. Through beautiful, yet painful imagery Peskine presents a radical retelling of colonial histories from a new and alternative perspective.
Based in Paris, Peskine continues to pursue various artist residencies around the world, most recently in Brazil and Cameroon. His sensitive portraits of the people he meets inform the rich diversity of subjects adorning his sculptural pieces. The sheer self-possession of these vital Black figures’ gaze rivets our attention by suggesting a transcendent, interior power of resilience. Peskine’s acute observations of people from many places and all walks of life have led him to the conclusion that today, more than ever, we live in a time that requires us to come together in ‘oneness’.
Opening Hours
Tue-Sat 12.30-5.30pm
Location:
24 Old Gloucester Street
London, WC1N 3AL
Text and pictures, copyright october gallery and the artist