In Unsettled, artworks include two woven tapestries, three pieces of furniture of varying materials that reference migration, and five two-dimensional pieces. The exhibition is divided into two sections –– half of the works are United States-focused, and the other half are globally centered.
The featured tapestries are literal maps that highlight redlining and segregation. Barnes uses a unique weaving technique with a classical horizontal Aubusson wood loom with a cotton foundation. The technique has been used in France and Belgium since the 12th century by and more recently revived by Marie Cuttoli, who introduced the concept to Man Ra, Le Corbusier and Joan Miro among others. The goal is to re-introduce the art of hand-woven tapestries in contemporary design by using traditional rigorous techniques executed with very high resolution, premium materials, and stellar workmanship. Germane’s tapestries were woven in a controlled workshop using very fine premium New Zealand wool and fine Egyptian cotton for the warp.
The collage is a timeline of African processes taken abroad. The map, done on Roman paper only available in Rome that has been transported back to the United States, also highlights these themes of migration. The stool is also a nod to migration and is an amalgamation of three materials close to Barnes’ personal history –– steel (an homage to Chicago Skyscrapers), concrete (an homage to Miami Brutalism), and resin (an homage to the artist’s time living abroad).
This exhibition, while exploring migration from an African perspective, also tells the story of Barnes’ personal journey of movement from Chicago to Cape Town, to Los Angeles, and now to Miami. Unsettled is Barnes’ interpretation of Black migration within the continental United States and abroad and works to blur the lines between design and architecture.