Alison Saar’s inimitable sculptures of defiant Black warrior queens and Afro-Deities embody universal feminine power which cannot be suppressed in a man-made world once women learn to seize it - and own it. Her female characters have a commanding presence because their body language exudes self-confidence, and they return the viewer’s gaze - even watching our backs. Their presence also mysteriously electrifies the atmospheric space - much like a wild jungle cat we may not see but we can sense. Saar’s sculptures have an aura that recalls ancient tribal art, religious art and Greek art because they are painstakingly handcrafted in an almost devotional way, and with a purpose: as totems and talismans with open-ended meanings that move with the times, especially in our current era of racial and gender upheaval.
Saar understands the importance of the human touch for creating meaning in handmade art. As she says, “I have to experience everything through my hands,” because, “the hand is in the making of textures.” Saar carves her female figures from salvaged wood, using a chisel and mallet given to her by her ceramicist father, Richard Saar, who restored ancient art and allowed her to hold these artifacts in her hands. She covers these nudes with tougher armor made from old ceiling tin and wire, then hammers scores of nails like studs, and even uses nails for a crown of hair. The salvaged tin has a beautiful patina created from a natural aging process, and Saar creates further patterns from aggressively hammering to show that her female characters wear their hard forged histories as a protective covering. As the daughter of Betye Saar, she developed a deep understanding of assemblage techniques and a commitment to fusing recycled materials and storytelling.