Nikko Washington USA, b. 1993
Idol II, 2023
Liquid graphite and digital collage on paper
9 x 8 1/2 in.
22.9 x 21.6 cm
22.9 x 21.6 cm
8949
This drawing by Nikko Washington is a beautiful corpse amalgamating the bodies of famous athletes and faces taken from a book of African folklore. The features of the figures are...
This drawing by Nikko Washington is a beautiful corpse amalgamating the bodies of famous athletes and faces taken from a book of African folklore. The features of the figures are exaggerated in a way reminiscent of African sculptural figures. The drawings relate to Washington’s ideas about deities, old and new. “I’m thinking of ancient drawings and figures and cave drawings and sculptures of deities and making my own out of sports figures and found imagery,” Washington says. Many of the drawings in the series feature the body of number 12, Doug Williams, the first Black NFL quarterback to play in and win a Super Bowl. For Washington, the story of Williams’s accomplishment embodies the nature of contemporary folklore. It is legendary, and yet the story is not frequently passed down. Like ancient mythologies, it has to be told and retold every generation in order to keep the legend alive.