Happy birthday to Jayson Musson. The vibrant undulating patterns you see in this work are not the result of paint on canvas, but rather the trademark knit of recycled Coogi-brand sweaters mounted on stretchers to create a large-scale abstract image. The wild colors and textured surface evoke nostalgia for the 1980s and 1990s, when the fashion brand became a status symbol in African American hip-hop culture, made popular by Black TV shows and music icons like rapper Notorious B.I.G. Musson considers the sweaters “cultural detritus,” a commodity that many people, specifically people of color, are manipulated into coveting by white power structures. This soft colorful tapestry combines the boldness of hip-hop and American abstract painting with domestic traditions like weaving, and illuminates questions at the intersection of popular culture, race, and economics.
"Trying to find our spot off in that light, light off in that spot," 2014, by Jayson Musson © Jayson Musson
