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Sanford Biggers

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Sanford Biggers is a Harlem-based interdisciplinary artist who works in film/video, installation, sculpture, music, and performance.[1] An L.A. native, he has lived and worked in New York City since 1999.[2]

Sanford Biggers
Born
United States
NationalityAmerican
Known forFilm, video, sculpture, music

Life and education

Biggers was born in Los Angeles, California.[3] He is the son of a neurosurgeon, his father, and of a teacher, his mother.[4] He received a BA from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1998.[3] Biggers says that due to a lack of art major classes at Morehouse, he was required to take the majority of his classes at the all-women Spelman College.[5]

Work

Biggers first received critical attention when his collaborative work with David Ellis, Mandala of the B-Bodhisattva II, was included in the exhibition "Freestyle", curated by Thelma Golden at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 2001.[6][7][8] Since, his works have been presented internationally including the Tate Modern in London, the Renaissance Society in Chicago,[9] Prospect 1 in New Orleans and the Whitney Biennial, the Kitchen and Performa 07 (curated by Roselee Goldberg) in New York.[1][8][10] Biggers's art frequently references African-American ethnography, hip hop music, Buddhism, African spirituality, Indo-European Vodoun, jazz, Afrofuturism, urban culture and icons from Americana.[11][12][13][14] He has said that he places "no hierarchy on chronology, references or media"[15] and his work has been characterized by meditation and improvisation.[14] He says his themes are "meant to broaden and complicate our read on American history." He also uses syncretism to highlight the interconnectedness of seemly disparate cultural practices.[11][12] In order to make the viewer an active element, Biggers often turns his sculptures into performances.[15] Having spent most of his life playing piano, this performative element frequently takes the form of music.[13] He has collaborated on music projects with Saul Williams a.k.a. Niggy Tardust, Esthero, Martin Luther McCoy, Imani Uzuri, Rich Medina,[15] and Jahi Sundance.[13]

In 2014, Biggers departed from his typical medium by painting on quilts that were given to him by the descendants of slave owners.[16]

Biggers is Affiliate Faculty at the Virginia Commonwealth University Sculpture and Expanded Media program, and was a visiting scholar at Harvard University's VES Department in 2009.[17][18] He was previously an assistant professor at Columbia University's Visual Arts program.[19]

Recognition

In 2019, Biggers was inducted into the New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame.[20] In 2010, Biggers was awarded the Greenfield Prize at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, a two-year residency and commission of new work.[21] The commission formed the centerpiece of Sanford Biggers: Codex, a 2012 solo exhibition at the Ringling Museum[22] curated by Matthew McLendon.

In 2009 he received the William H. Johnson Prize[23] and was one of the three finalists for the inaugural Jack Wolgin International Competition in the Fine Arts, the largest juried prize in the world to go to an individual visual artist. Biggers in 2008 received the Creative Capital Award in the discipline of Visual Arts.[24] Biggers was an Eyebeam artist-in-residence in 2000.[25][26]

In 2018 Biggers was interviewed by Vinson Cunningham, a writer for the New Yorker magazine, about his impact on contemporary political art and his role in the Black Lives Matter movement.[27] Also in 2018 Biggers was given an art award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.[28]

In 2021, Biggers received the 26th Annual Heinz Award for the Arts.[29]

Exhibitions

Source unless otherwise noted:[30]

Solo

"Sanford Biggers" - Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. September 7 - December 30, 2018

  • "Selah" — Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, New York. September 7 - October 21, 2017
  • "The Pasts They Brought with Them" — Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. February 11 - April 2, 2016
  • "Shuffle, Shake - Everson Museum" — Urban Video Project (UVP) and Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York. November 6 - December 27, 2014
  • "3 Dollars and Six Dimes" — David Castillo Gallery, Miami, Florida. May 15 - July 5, 2014
  • "Vex" — Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, Colorado. June 27–20, 2014
  • "Sugar, Pork, Bourbon" — Massimo De Carlo Gallery, Milan, Italy. April 5 - May 18, 2013
  • "Dark Star" — Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, New York. July 6–22, 2013
  • "Ago" — Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. April 13 - June, 2013
  • "The Cartographers Conundrum" — Mass MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts. October 2012
  • "Codex" — John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida. March 30 - October 14, 2012
  • "Sweet Funk – An Introspective" — The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York. September 23, 2011 - January 8, 2012
  • "Cosmic Voodoo Circus" — SculptureCenter, Long Island City, Queens, New York. September 10 - November 28, 2011
  • "Moon Medicine" — Museum of Contemporary Arts, Santa Barbara, California. 2010
  • "Blossom" — Grand Arts, Kansas City, Missouri September 7 – October 20, 2007[31][32]

Group

Collections

Biggers' work is held in the following permanent collections:

References

  1. ^ a b Modern Exhibitions Archived July 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Schachter Rove, Kenny. "Sanford Biggers/Notions". rovetv.net. Archived from the original on 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  3. ^ a b Cunningham, Vinson (8 January 2018). "The Playful, Political Art of Sanford Biggers" – via www.newyorker.com.
  4. ^ "The Playful, Political Art of Sanford Biggers". newyorker.com. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  5. ^ Biggers, Sanford; Keith, Amy Elisa (2014-02-20). "On the Record With ... Sanford Biggers". BET.com. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  6. ^ Lesage, Dieter & Wudtke, Ina. "Black Sound White Cube." Löcker Verlag (June 11, 2010).
  7. ^ Bleckner, Ross. "BOMB Magazine: Rashid Johnson by Sanford Biggers". Bombsite.com. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  8. ^ a b Yablonsky, Linda. "ARTnews". ARTnews. Archived from the original on 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  9. ^ "Sanford Biggers at the Renaissance Society". Archived from the original on 2012-09-08.
  10. ^ "/ archive". Artforum.com. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  11. ^ a b "BAM/PFA - Art Exhibitions - Sanford Biggers / MATRIX 197". Bampfa.berkeley.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  12. ^ a b Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum. "• Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum || EXHIBITIONS •". Sbcaf.org. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  13. ^ a b c "WM | whitehot magazine of contemporary art | April 2010, Interview with Sanford Biggers". Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  14. ^ a b "Bachelors Degree Program". Vcu.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  15. ^ a b c "Sanford Biggers - Time Out New York". Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  16. ^ Gilmore, Georgette (2014-11-14). "MAM Art Talks Thursday : Sanford Biggers - Baristanet". Baristanet. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  17. ^ "Sanford Biggers Public Art at Harvard". Ofa.fas.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-06-27. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  18. ^ "VCU Sculpture + Extended Media". Vcu.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  19. ^ "Visual Arts Faculty - Columbia University School of the Arts Graduate MFA Programs". Pp.cc.columbia.edu. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  20. ^ "NYFA 2019 Hall of Fame Event". 29 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  21. ^ "Greenfield Winners". www.greenfieldprize.org. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  22. ^ "Sanford Biggers: Codex". www.ringling.org. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  23. ^ "Sanford Biggers Wins 2009 William H. Johnson Prize". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  24. ^ http://creative-capital.org/projects/view/23 [dead link‍]
  25. ^ "Sanford Biggers | eyebeam.org". eyebeam.org. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  26. ^ "iniva: Sanford Biggers". www.iniva.org. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  27. ^ Cunningham, Vinson (2018-01-08). "The Playful, Political Art of Sanford Biggers:An under-sung artist upends received ideas about race and history". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  28. ^ "2018 Ceremonial Exhibition: Work by New Members and Recipients of Awards – American Academy of Arts and Letters". artsandletters.org. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  29. ^ "The Heinz Awards :: Sanford Biggers". www.heinzawards.net. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  30. ^ "Exhibitions". Sanford Biggers official website. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  31. ^ "Blossom" by Sanford Biggers, 2007
  32. ^ Brooklyn Museum
  33. ^ "2018 Ceremonial Exhibition: Work by New Members and Recipients of Awards – American Academy of Arts and Letters". artsandletters.org. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  34. ^ "Sanford Biggers". www.studiomuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  35. ^ "Sanford Biggers". www.brooklynmuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  36. ^ "Sanford Biggers". www.moma.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  37. ^ "Sanford Biggers". www.whitney.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  38. ^ "Sanford Biggers". www.mcachicago.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  39. ^ "Borne by the River". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  40. ^ "Semaphore". www.collections.artsmia.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  41. ^ "Sanford Biggers". www.walkerart.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  42. ^ "SANFORD BIGGERS". www.phillipscollection.org. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
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