Willie Cole USA, b. 1955

This sculpture by Willie Cole mobilizes second hand luxury shoes as supports for an anthropomorphic depiction of a mask. Cole makes extensive use of readymade objects and found materials in his work, especially salvaged shoes, irons, and other consumer objects. Layers of social, political, and personal meaning are embedded within the materials Cole uses. This elegant sculpture is emblematic of Cole’s distinctive method. The dreamlike, mirror-image form references African traditional sculpture, while combining Cole's interest in consumer culture, Pop imagery, and Surrealism.