Brooklyn, NEW YORK—Nari Ward has transformed an everyday shopping cart into an intriguing object. “Crusader” is on display near the fifth floor elevator at the Brooklyn Museum and upon first glance one might mistake it for something utilized by a homeless person and it turns out the reference is quite relevant to the artist’s intent.
According to the museum, Ward’s work “breathes new life into discarded objects as he reimagines the mounted warrior of the medieval religious wars. The jerry rigged vehicle allows the contemporary urban crusader to trundle down streets via foot power.” The concept is akin to that of an urban dwelling homeless person accumulating the cast offs of others. While fantastic, the intricately formed mixed media sculpture is a very real commentary on contemporary society.
Jamaican-born Ward is based in New York.
Photos by Arts Observer
“Crusader,” 2005 (plastic bags, metal, shopping cart, trophy elements, tar extract, chandelier and plastic containers) by Nari Ward.
“Grimy gas cans hang like saddlebags from the sides of a rusty shopping cart. A chandelier topped by a dark orb on the front of the structure evokes a jousting spear.”
The woven webbing is composed of plastic shopping bags.