Phrygian (Cap in the Air)

African American sculptor and printmaker Martin Puryear explores issues of identity, culture, and history in his work. Produced in collaboration with master printers, Puryear’s editioned prints generally feature simplified black-and-white motifs that bring to mind traditional craft, manual labor, and nature, subjects he also explores in his sculptural work and site-specific installations. Puryear’s austere images essentially function as cultural or historical symbols whose meanings are fluid and depend on the viewer’s own experiences, memories, and associations. “I think there are a number of levels at which my work can be dealt with and appreciated, ” Puryear has noted. “It gives me pleasure to feel there’s a level that doesn’t require knowledge of or immersion in the aesthetic of a given time or place.”