Mitumba Deity
2005
Shinique Smith
American, born 1971
Contemporary Art
Sitting directly on the floor, like a Minimalist sculpture, Mitumba Deity consists of lumpy bundles of fabric, stuffed toys, and articles of clothing. Composed of Smith’s own garments and those of friends, the piece alludes to the global economy through the path of secondhand clothing. The piece was inspired by a film that tracks a T-shirt with a university logo from a thrift shop in New York to a mountain village in Africa, where it is purchased by a man and becomes his second shirt. Mitumba is a Swahili word that literally means “bundles” and refers to the packages and articles of used clothing donated by people in prosperous countries to charitable causes. Mitumba Deity is from Smith’s series of bundle sculptures.
- Maker/Artist
- Smith, Shinique
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Fabric, clothing, twine and cardboard
- Dimensions
- 48 x 50 in. (121.9 x 127 cm)
- Departments
- Contemporary Art
- Accession Number
- 2009.25
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Contemporary Art Council
- Exhibitions
- I See Myself in You: Selections from the Collection, Extended Family: Contemporary Connections
- Rights Statement
- © artist or artist's estate
- Museum Location
- This item is not on view
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