Sanford Biggers (born 1970 in Los Angeles) is a Harlem-based

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

artist who works in film/video, installation, sculpture, music, and

performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

.Modern Exhibitions
An L.A. native, he has lived and worked in New York City since 1999.

Life and education

Biggers was born in 1970 in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of a neurosurgeon, his father, and of a teacher, his mother. He received a BA from

Morehouse College , mottoeng = And there was light (literal translation of Latin itself translated from Hebrew: "And light was made") , type = Private historically black men's liberal arts college , academic_affiliations ...

in Atlanta, Georgia, an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1998. Biggers says that due to a lack of art major classes at Morehouse, he was required to take the majority of his classes at the all-women Spelman College.

Work

Biggers first received critical attention when his collaborative work with David Ellis, ''Mandala of the B-Bodhisattva II'', was included in the exhibition "Freestyle", curated by

Thelma Golden Thelma Golden (born 1965 in St. Albans, Queens) is the Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City, United States. Golden joined the Museum as Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs in 2000 before succeedin ...

at the

Studio Museum in Harlem The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American art museum devoted to the work of artists of African descent. The museum's galleries are currently closed in preparation for a building project that will replace the current building, located at 144 W ...

in 2001. Since, his works have been presented internationally including the Tate Modern in London, the Renaissance Society in Chicago, Prospect 1 in New Orleans and the Whitney Biennial, the Kitchen and Performa 07 (curated by Roselee Goldberg) in New York. Biggers's art frequently references African-American

ethnography Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

, hip hop music, Buddhism, African spirituality, Indo-European Vodoun, jazz, Afrofuturism, urban culture and icons from Americana. He claims to place "no hierarchy on chronology, references or media" and his work has been characterized by meditation and improvisation. He says his themes are "meant to broaden and complicate our read on American history." He also uses syncretism to highlight the interconnectedness of seemly disparate cultural practices. In order to make the viewer an active element, Biggers often turns his sculptures into performances. Having spent most of his life playing piano, this performative element frequently takes the form of music. He has collaborated on music projects with

Saul Williams Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film ''Slam'' ...

a.k.a. Niggy Tardust, Esthero, Martin Luther McCoy,

Imani Uzuri Imani Uzuri is an American vocalist and composer. Uzuri has collaborated with artists across various disciplines including co-writing and singing the song "Be Still" for Herbie Hancock's album ''Future 2 Future''. In 2012 Uzuri released her sec ...

, Rich Medina, and Jahi Sundance. In 2014, Biggers departed from his typical medium by painting on quilts that were given to him by the descendants of slave owners. Biggers is Affiliate Faculty at the Virginia Commonwealth University Sculpture and Expanded Media program and was a visiting scholar at Harvard University's VES Department in 2009. He was previously an Assistant Professor at Columbia University's Visual Arts program.

Recognition

In 2019, Biggers was inducted into the New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame. In 2010, Biggers was awarded the Greenfield Prize at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, a two-year residency and commission of new work. The commission formed the centerpiece of ''Sanford Biggers: Codex'', a 2012 solo exhibition at the Ringling Museum curated by

Matthew McLendon Matthew McLendon (born 1977) is an American museum director, art historian, and curator of modern and contemporary art. McLendon serves as Director and CEO of the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas. Life and education Florida native McLen ...

. In 2009 he received the William H. Johnson Prize and was one of the three finalists for the inaugural Jack Wolgin International Competition in the Fine Arts, the largest juried prize in the world to go to an individual visual artist. Biggers in 2008 received the Creative Capital Award in the discipline of Visual Arts. Biggers was an Eyebeam

artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

in 2000. in 2018 Biggers was interviewed by Vinson Cunningham, a writer for the '' New Yorker'' magazine, about his impact on contemporary political art and his role in the Black Lives Matter movement. Also in 2018 Biggers was given an art award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2021, Biggers received the 26th Annual Heinz Award for the Arts.

Exhibitions

Source unless otherwise noted:

Solo

"Sanford Biggers" - Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. September 7 - December 30, 2018 * "Selah" —

Marianne Boesky Gallery Marianne Boesky Gallery is an art gallery located in the New York City neighborhood of Chelsea and Aspen, Colorado. Founded in 1996 in Soho by Marianne Boesky, it specializes in contemporary art. It represents established artists like Frank Stella ...

, New York, New York. September 7 - October 21, 2017 * "The Pasts They Brought with Them" — Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. February 11 - April 2, 2016 * "Shuffle, Shake - Everson Museum" — Urban Video Project (UVP) and

Everson Museum of Art Everson may refer to: People with the surname * Ben Everson (born 1987), English footballer * Bill Everson (1906–1966), Welsh international rugby union player * Cliff Everson, a New Zealand car designer and manufacturer * Corinna Everson (born 1 ...

, Syracuse, New York. November 6 - December 27, 2014 * "3 Dollars and Six Dimes" —

David Castillo Gallery The David Castillo Gallery is an art gallery in Miami Beach, Florida. It was opened by David Castillo in 2005. The gallery has participated in art fairs including Art Basel Miami Beach and The Armory Show. ''Time'' magazine listed it as one of ...

, Miami, Florida. May 15 - July 5, 2014 * "Vex" —

Baldwin Gallery The Baldwin Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Aspen, Colorado established by Richard Edwards in 1994. The gallery features a variety of mainly American but also international contemporary artists and works including painting, drawing, sculp ...

, Aspen, Colorado. June 27-20, 2014 * "Sugar, Pork, Bourbon" — Massimo De Carlo Gallery, Milan, Italy. April 5 - May 18, 2013 * "Dark Star" — Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, New York. July 6–22, 2013 * "Ago" — Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago, Illinois. April 13 - June, 2013 * "The Cartographers Conundrum" — Mass MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts. October 2012 * "Codex" — John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida. March 30 - October 14, 2012 * "Sweet Funk – An Introspective" — The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York. September 23, 2011 - January 8, 2012 * "Cosmic Voodoo Circus" — SculptureCenter, Long Island City, Queens, New York. September 10 - November 28, 2011 * "Moon Medicine" — Museum of Contemporary Arts, Santa Barbara, California. 2010 * "Blossom" —

Grand Arts Grand Arts was a nonprofit contemporary art space in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, whose mission was to help national and international artists realize projects considered too risky, provocative or complex to otherwise attract support. It was co-f ...

, Kansas City, Missouri September 7 – October 20, 2007

Group

* "Matter" —

, Miami, Florida. December 1, 2015 - January 31, 2016 * "Eight Sculptors" — Paula Copper Gallery, New York, New York November 10 –- December 22, 2012 * "2018 Ceremonial Exhibition: Work by new members and recipients of awards" - American Academy of Arts and Letters.

References

External links

Sanford Biggers at Marianne Boesky GallerySanford Biggers and Jennifer Zackin: a small world...
A 2012 exhibition at The Jewish Museum, NY.
Show and Tell: Sanford Biggers
''NY Mag''
‘Stranger Fruit,’ indeed
''Harvard Gazette''
Sanford Biggers’s Moon Medicine at Contemporary Arts Forum
''Santa Barbara Independent''

''Oregon Live''
This year's Greenfield Prize winner melds a variety of talents and thoughts
''Herald Tribune''
The deeply political, bold and rich work of Harlem's Sanford Biggers
''ALL ARTS''
Sanford Biggers Opens Multimedia Installation at Rockefeller Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biggers, Sanford African-American contemporary artists American contemporary artists Interdisciplinary artists Morehouse College alumni Columbia University faculty 1970 births Living people Artists from Los Angeles Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people