Next Kent tji wara

Willie Cole American

Not on view

Using parts from two old bicycles, Cole creates parent-child antelope figures that are inspired by the wooden animals atop traditional Bamana tji wara (or ci wara) headdresses. Like the African pieces—several of which can be seen in The Met's collection—Cole's contemporary versions abstract the antelope's tapered head, long neck, and horns into elegant silhouettes. Such bicycle constructions have been a recurrent theme in the artist's oeuvre since 1992 and reference not only his heritage as an African American, but also America's consumer society.

Next Kent tji wara, Willie Cole (American, born Newark, New Jersey, 1955), Bicycle parts, spray paint, and brazing

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Next Kent tji wara, Willie Cole (American, born Newark, New Jersey, 1955), Bicycle parts, spray paint, and brazing
Next Kent tji wara, Willie Cole (American, born Newark, New Jersey, 1955), Bicycle parts, spray paint, and brazing

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.