Golden Horde

Seven pieces of various sizes, commissioned by ICA and inIVA for inclusion in the exhibition 'Alien Nation' at the ICA, 2006 Mixed media, plastic (including pound shop toys, perspex and plastic flowers), metal chains, textile, on wood Maximum width 200cm, maximum hieght 273cm , maximum length 253 cm

'Golden Horde'originated from years visiting cathedral, palace and museum treasuries or hordes. They are also inspired by Indian jewellery - the Riches of the Maharaja's - some of which have ended up there. I was very interested to find out recently that 'loot' is a Hindu word, meaning 'to plunder or steal'.
I have often drawn in the Gilt and Silver Rooms at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This gallery is filled with trophies, awards and religious reliquaries, and these type of items have fascinated me for a long time. I am particularly interested in the Nef, the image of The Boat in this context, often combined with a nautilus shell.

These are usually salt cellars, and it is interesting to look back today to a time to when certain resources were deemed so exotic and precious, that you would create an incredible setting to display them. Coconut shells were also treated in the same way, and made into precious goblets. Today you can buy nautilus shells cheaply in any beach resort around the world.

I have been obsessed with boats for many years, I have a deep personal compulsion to make at least one boat every two years or so. It is part of my personal history, having sailed to and from Guyana to England as a child. For me they are symbols of migration, and of the possibility of escape to some golden future.
The title is layered - it refers to many things. All that glitters is not gold. The objects used in this work are trying to imitate another, more precious material. They are trying to give an impression of wealth and riches patently non-existent. The original Golden Horde was one of the Mongol armies descended from Genghis Khan. The influx of illegal immigrants or asylum seekers from Africa to Europe has likewise created a mental image of them as an invading force. It is human nature to seek a better future for oneself, and it is also human nature that once someone has something better, for the Haves to want to keep the Have-Nots out, creating the current political concept of Fortress Europe.

This problem will only get worse, so whilst I have tried to make these ships beautiful, they also contain hopes and fears of the passengers. These aggressive babies are warriors. They are desperate to reach a positive shore, where they will be welcomed and happy. Get rich or die trying.

A working title for the piece was 'When we were Kings' - not a reference to the Muhammed Ali/ George Foreman documentary film - but to the romanticised idea of a glorious African past, as depicted in numerous Afri-kitcsh posters sold on the streets of black communities in major cities all over the western world.

Back