Casey Kaplan
Igshaan Adams, Studio
Photo credit: Mario Todeschini
Courtesy of the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York
Igshaan Adams is a powerful new voice in textile art, crafting large-scale sculptural weavings that shed light on complex themes of hybrid identity, race in post-apartheid South Africa, generational trauma, and religion.
INSPIRATIONS: He draws on everything from religious prayer rugs to the patterns made over time on linoleum in working-class houses. “The surfaces record the movement and the history within our homes,” he says. “I mythologize the stories of these families.”
UNIQUE PROCESS: His labor-intensive creations utilize a community of family, friends, and neighbors. “We buy bags of beads, and we mix them like a paint and bead together,” Adams says. “It’s an amazing energy.” caseykaplangallery.com
“Igshaan’s work manages to beautifully capture feelings, patterns, and images in a gripping mesh of mixed identity that mirrors his own multilayered upbringing.” – Loring Randolph, director of programming, Frieze New York