'Threads of Identity' an solo exhibition by Shaundell Horton

Readytex Art Gallery and Shaundell Horton will soon open Threads of Identity, the first solo exhibition of this visual artist in our gallery. This special exhibition is part of our larger ALAKONDRE: A Space in Time project and within that framework, the designated curator is artist Miguel Keerveld.

The majority of the new artworks that Shaundell Horton presents in Threads of Identity, reflect her own mixed identity. “Not the identity that people might think to recognize from the outside, but the identity that is formed from within, not only by my origin, but also by everything else I take along from my surroundings and my life experiences.” Because although her country of birth Guyana, plays an important role in her art and in the shaping of her identity, her youth and life in Suriname are also of great influence on everything that she creates. The used teabags, the embroidery and crocheted doilies that she often incorporates in her work, are clear references to the British influences in her heritage. But these literal Threads of Identity are increasingly fused with other visual elements that ultimately form the threads of a much broader narrative. For this exhibition, for example, she makes abstract masks in which she combines ceramics and crocheting. Perhaps the clay that she uses there has something to do with an earthier component, with the soil of the country that she currently considers her home? And the various colors of the threads used to crochet, perhaps with the rich cultural diversity in our beautiful Alakondre Suriname?

In a series of large portraits, in which she would normally apply used teabags to the entire background in a collage technique, she now purposely leaves a significant amount of empty white space. For Shaundell, this white space symbolizes the space that she allows herself to remain receptive to new impressions and influences. A space that thus gives her the opportunity to enrich, expand and strengthen her art as well as her identity. And looking at the other works in the exhibition, it seems as if Shaundell also wants to create a space for the Threads of Identity of others all over the world, so that they may also openly and respectfully entangle or unite themselves with those of any and all others.

You may visit Threads of Identity in Readytex Art Gallery from Friday, the 8^th of July until Saturday the 30^th of July, during our regular opening hours from Monday-Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm and on Saturday from 8:30 am – 1:30 pm. We look forward to welcoming you!

Please note: On Saturdays there will be guided tours of the exhibition. If you would like to join, please register in advance by WhatsApp: +597 8945911 or email: [email protected]

Team Readytex Art Gallery