Bristol Fashion
Part of a series of expanded paintings, exploring the political and the personal while questioning the role of the elements that make up a painting.
Discussions about the legacy of British imperialism can produce angry defensiveness in some people who prefer a more partisan ‘island story’ where Britons are always enlightened and noble – preconceptions which Bristol Fashion questions. It is made from denim (indigo and cotton: two commodities of the slave economy) and whipping twine which is representative of sail technology. Stitched seams trace the routes of transatlantic slaving ships. “Bristol Fashion” is an ironic play on the expression “ship shape and Bristol fashion” which embodies the way some British people prefer to think about their maritime past: tough, efficient and heroic.
Medium: Denim, Dutch wax; whipping twine
Size (h x w): 200 x 100 cm
Price: £1,750
Contact and buying details: Jack Woolley (jack@jackwoolley.co.uk; 07773 325688)
