Hugues Reip

< Back | Works

<
>
LEADFEATHER (to Leadbelly)
Leadfeather Leadfeather
Leadfeather (to Leadbelly), 2018
Feathers, juniper branch, Akan bronze weight, H: 17 cm.

(Exhibition view: “Salle des Pas Perdus”, Doc, Paris)

In tribute to the bluesman Leadbelly and the song “Strange Fruits” by Billie Holiday denouncing the slavery and lynching of black Americans. Akan weights were used as early as the 15th century in West Africa to weigh gold and thus allow transactions. Juniper, from which cade oil is extracted with healing properties, is also called “poor pepper”. The feathers here echo the weight of the soul.