Untitled

Andrea Chung, artist

born 1978

Untitled, 2022 - 2022

Material/technique: resin; pigment; beads; shell; crystal

Dimensions:
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): a (right hand) 39.37 x 10.16 x 7.62 cm
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): b (left hand) 31.75 x 8.89 x 8.25 cm

Accession number: 2025.0038.a,b

Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Soundings: Making Culture at Sea

The marine blue color, hints of erosion, and inclusion of seashells in this sculpture evoke an object that has lived underwater for a long time. The work references the myth of Drexciya, a vibrant community beneath the Atlantic Ocean created by the descendants of pregnant African women who gave their children to the waves during the Middle Passage rather than subject them to enslavement. In their outstretched arms Black grief is alchemized into hope for a more just and caring future.

Bold Women

Exploring the legacies of colonialism and enslavement in the Caribbean, Andrea Chung considers the myth of Drexciya, a Black Atlantis populated by the descendants of pregnant African women who tragically jumped or were thrown overboard on their journey into enslavement. Rather than succumb to death, the women gave birth to babies who survived underwater and formed a peaceful new world in the Atlantic Ocean. The outstretched arms conjure alternative histories and reach for a future made possible by Black resistance, perseverance, and communal activism.