{"id":7072,"date":"2026-06-22T08:15:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T15:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=7072"},"modified":"2026-06-22T08:15:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T15:15:47","slug":"willie-cole-traverses-mind-body-and-soul-in-expressive-mixed-media-assemblages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=7072","title":{"rendered":"Willie Cole Traverses \u2018Mind, Body, and Soul\u2019 in Expressive Mixed Media Assemblages"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Willie<\/p>\n

For Willie Cole<\/a>, the convergence of material and concept are as important as emotional and even spiritual links to history. Whether repurposing salvaged musical instruments, creating enigmatic visages from stacked stilettos, or arranging hundreds of single-use plastic bottles across a surface, his imaginative sculptural assemblages<\/a> tap into a range of global traditions, eras, and social and environmental issues.<\/p>\n

Cole explores our associations with physical objects by removing them from the context within which we\u2019re accustomed to encountering them. Time-honored African masking traditions and figurative sculptures made of high heels meet modern symbols of labor and culture, such as repeated ironing board motifs or a handful of saxophones that have been reimagined as a bird.<\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cTiger Lilly\u201d (2025), repurposed shoes and wire, 19 x 18 x 13 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mind, Body, and Soul<\/em>, Cole\u2019s current solo exhibition at Sargent\u2019s Daughters<\/a>, combines new works with pieces made throughout the past couple of decades. The selection emphasizes the artist\u2019s interest in reframing and enriching everyday objects into assemblages of cultural significance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis practice transcends specific media or subject matter, moving fluidly across genres and iconographies to explore history, consumerism, and environmentalism,\u201d the gallery says. In the era of fast fashion, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch<\/a>, and an accelerating climate crisis, consumable and disposable objects contrast how we value our history and customs.<\/p>\n

Mind, Body, and Soul <\/em>continues through July 10 in New York. See more on the artist\u2019s Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"a
\u201cFly Girl\u201d (2016), repurposed shoes and wire, 18 x 12 x 14 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Alternate view of \u201cFly Girl\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cSummer Shoes\u201d (2025), silkscreen print, 21 x 27 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cShoonufu Female Figure\u201d (2013), bronze, 25 x 9.5 x 13 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cSurvivors Series I (Wall Assemblages)\u201d (2026) water bottles on board, 96 x 48 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Detail of \u201cSurvivors Series I (Wall Assemblages)\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cTwin Spirits\u201d (2026), repurposed shoes and wire, 27 x 12 x 11 inchea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Willie Cole Traverses \u2018Mind, Body, and Soul\u2019 in Expressive Mixed Media Assemblages<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Willie Cole, the convergence of material and concept are as important as emotional and even spiritual links to history. Whether repurposing salvaged musical instruments, creating enigmatic visages from stacked…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7072\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}