Access a slow-looking exercise of this work.

Transcript
Narrator: Anthony Akinbola’s "Jubilee," created in 2021, greets viewers with a variety of pastels in pale and bright yellows, pinks, and orangy-tans, like lemon and orange sherbet. Measuring 8 feet wide by 9 feet high and 3 inches deep, its size, composition, and structure give it the feel of a large-scale painting, despite being created from fabric and acrylic on a wooden panel.

The fabric has a shiny quality, like satin or silk, and is cut into various shapes and sizes that are sewn together, making four large panels that are arranged in an imperfect rectangular grid. On the upper left and lower right are square panels, while on the lower left and upper right are rectangular panels. Assembled together, the seams between the panels are barely visible and it appears as one large canvas.

The title, "Jubilee," is not only reflective of the bright and celebratory colors in the artwork. It relates to an important period in African American history, the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Another celebration of Black culture referenced in the artwork is not immediately obvious upon first observation: the fabric assembled is from a collection of durags, tight-fitting scarves or caps that cover the head with a portion of the fabric, the “tails,” hanging down along the neck. This protective hair covering is an identifier in Black culture.

Most of the durags are cut into strips a few inches thick and range between one to several feet long. The strips are positioned vertically and arranged side by side horizontally like lines of lowercase “L”s. Four rows of these many vertical stripes are stacked, one above the other, across the canvas. The stripes or rows, alternate colors, a lighter shade against a darker shade or a smooth yellow fabric against a textured yellow fabric, and the left side of the panel features brighter yellows, transitioning to oranges and pinky-tans toward the right side, creating a subtle gradient.

This painterly effect is enhanced by the way Akinbola attaches the fabric pieces. The edges of adjacent pieces are pulled together and sewn with about a half-inch seam allowance, the measure of excess fabric from the stitch to its raw edge. Typically on the inside of a garment, here the seams are visible and the dark thread creates outlines around the pieces. Shadows are also visible, and if we could touch the panels, our fingers would skip across each line where the seam protrudes slightly off the surface.

In other areas, portions of the fabric are pulled taut and wrinkle or pucker. Some billow loosely where the rims of the durags aren’t attached flush to the panel, giving an effect of deflated balloons. The stripes or rows along the top and bottom edges contain around forty individual fabric pieces. The two rows in the center are divided in half by the central horizontal seam between the panels. The vertical strips starting at the left edge merge into larger portions of fabric on the right side that are square-like shapes. Here, the fabric either puckers tightly or hangs loosely.

In the center of the artwork and at the bottom-left corner are small strips of fabric, attached to the panel by a seam a few inches wide. Like loose ribbons, they hang vertically off the panel, several feet long.

Made from textiles meant to protect the body, do we feel strength or tenuousness in this work?

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