Art
All souls kin, is a free kin
www.qns.com I LIC COURIER I JANUARY 2018 41
BY MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS
pening January 18 at the
Materials for the Arts
Gallery, artist Sol’Sax’s
show “Sol’Saint Many
Kin: All Sol’Skin Is A Free
Kin” raises to the forefront stories, and
age-old wisdom passed down through
the generations. Like Easter eggs, refer-ences
to revered icons like Bob Marley
and Mohammed Ali can be found in the
art on view. Tassels adorning a golden
helmet present the allusion of the famous
headpieces worn by ancient Portuguese
soldiers, and its title “Float Like A Butterfly,
Sting Like A Bee” summons the legacy of
the great fighter Muhammad Ali.
Sol’Sax’s work turns everyday objects
extraordinary. Lampshades are trans-formed
into a vintage corset, a toaster
oven takes the form of a womb, large
bowls become halos and the yarn is
carefully pulled from its spool to recreate
shoulder-length dreadlocks.
The works, more than 20 in total,
have all been created in Long Island
City at Materials for the Arts, a program
of the Department of Cultural Affairs.
Known for its extensive collection of
essential and unusual objects donated
by businesses and individuals and redis-tributed
to arts organizations, nonprofits,
and NYC public schools free of cost,
MFTA also runs an artist-in-residence
program, which Sol’Sax participated in
from September to January. Supported
by nonprofit partner Friends of Materi-als
for the Arts, the residency provides
artist with studio space, access to free
materials, and the opportunity to display
their work in a culminating show in the
MFTA Gallery.
Sol’Sax solo exhibition “Sol’Saint Many
Kin: All Sol’Skin” Is A Free Kin will be on
view January 18 through early spring in
the Materials for the Arts Gallery located
on the 3rd floor at 33-00 Northern Blvd
Monday through Friday from 9am - 5pm.
The artist will be in attendance for the
opening event on Thursday, January 18
at 6:30 pm.
Photo by Barbara Korein
