Iké Udé: Sartorial Anarchy

Artist Iké Udé's ongoing photographic series _Sartorial Anarchy_ merges clothing and objects from different times and places to upend recognizable signifiers of cultural and individual identity. The Nigerian born artist, now living in New York City, transforms himself into a multifaceted amalgam of many identities in these photographic self-portraits. According to the artist, "In each image, I married disparate costumes from widely diverse traditions, countries, and time frames. And in mixing eras and cultures, I was able to bring harmony, as it were, to their similarly irreconcilable differences." Udé's choice of title (_Sartorial Anarchy_) portends that the series is about much more than fashion. "Part of my job," Udé states, "is to keep beautifying Africa for the world, one portrait at a time." His personas are confident and elegant, secure in their multifaceted, distinctly—but not exclusively—African identities. Udé serves as the designer, scene painter, actor, and photographer of these portrayals and their rich colors, patterns, and textures suggest art historical influences ranging from Vermeer to Jacob Lawrence. The multiple perspectives and representations found in Udé's work invite us to contemplate the complex nature of the inner and the outer selves. _Sartorial Anarchy_ was curated by Lynne Shumow, Curator for Academic Engagement, Haggerty Museum of Art.