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Conceptual footwear by Deborah Kiwi

The Pattern - Rallying Cry Collection

Material: leather, suede and hand-dyed lining fabric from Congo / Year: 2020

About the collection:

Inspired by the expressive art of African masks, this mini collection of three handcrafted pair of galoshes boots was commissioned work for an exhibition. 

 

Representing the spirits who control good and evil forces, African masks are used during ritual performances. They deliberately enhance, modify and disfigure the body of the performer. Likewise, this footwear comes to life through a play on proportions, intentionally ignoring the idealised, western notion of the female body.

 

About this design:
In this work the visual abstraction of a pair of boots is offset by organic and playful patterns, to create a balanced composition. It not only refers back to the intricate, handcrafted carvings and decorations on the mask, but also to the often beautifully painted human bodies as a sub-Saharan art form. Which allows us to investigate a different way of moving through our world.

Deborah Kiwi shoe art
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