44″x32.5″x2.5″; artist-printed photographs collaged with paint and glitter in a hand-carved shushugi ban frame; 2024. Courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery.
COLLAGE ON VIEW
Robitussin, Hotcombs & Grease
at Claire Oliver Gallery in New York, New York, USA
28 March-24 May 2025
With a nod to the ubiquity of the quotidian items: “Robitussin, Hotcombs & Grease” as hallmarks of domesticity and comfort in Black homes, multidisciplinary artist Stan Squirewell’s latest works focus on the reclamation of identity from historical anonymity, forging an intimacy and proximity with the past that lives alongside us in the present through everyday traditions. Across the more than 15 works in the exhibition, Squirewell sources images from the Smithsonian Institution’s anonymous photo archives, antique photos of friends and family ancestors, transforming them into layered collages, weaving vibrant patterns and contemporary luxury brand logos along with imagery that confers identity and status to these anonymous historical figures.
72″x72″x3″; artist-printed photographs collaged with paint and glitter in a hand-carved shushugi ban frame; 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery.
Centered on reminiscence and the solace of cherished family memories, the exhibition’s title references household remedies and self-care traditions that shaped Squirewell’s upbringing—Robitussin, the ubiquitous cure-all, and hotcombs and grease, not only essential to Black hair care but also deeply embedded in the textures, rituals, and intimate interiority of Black family life. These works meditate on family, shared experiences within Black American culture, and everyday routines that, over time, have taken on a ceremonious significance. With tenderness and a sense of melancholic longing, Squirewell reflects on the intimate moments that define a household, transforming them into layered visual narratives that intertwine personal history with cultural identity.
(text adapted from material provided by the gallery)
INFORMATION
Claire Oliver Gallery
2288 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard
New York, New York 10030 USA
(212) 929-5949
Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday, 11AM-6PM