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White Naptha Soap or, Contemporary Lessons in Shapeshifting

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Photography by Edward C. Robison III.
White Naptha Soap or, Contemporary Lessons in Shapeshifting
Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

White Naptha Soap or, Contemporary Lessons in Shapeshifting

Artist (born 1976)
Date2013
MediumMixed media assemblage
Dimensions55 × 15 × 26 in. (139.7 × 38.1 × 66 cm)
ClassificationsMixed Media
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.91
Accession number 2020.91
On View
Not on view
Collections
Provenance(Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York, NY); purchased by GAE LLC, Bentonville, AR, 2015 (in conjunction with the 2014 Crystal Bridges exhibition State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now); transferred to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR 2020
Label TextVanessa German’s “power figures” feature a plethora of found objects purposefully attached to black dolls. While each sculpture exists as a single work, they are composed of a wide array of materials that each impart their own story—all combining to create a sculpture imbued with beauty and magic. Mixing complex historical references with playful elements, German creates an opportunity for viewers to explore and discover what she refers to as “an adventure in sight.”