Icon for summoning memory
- Artist: Alberta Whittle
- Date: 2022
- Medium: Raffia, wool, cotton doilies, textiles, acrylic paint, oil pastel, nylon hair, plastic and cowrie shells
- Dimensions: object: 1680 × 1949 × 150 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Icon for Summoning Memory” by Alberta Whittle. It’s a wall‑mounted canvas that blends painting, sculpture and tapestry. The central figure is seen from the side, draped in raffia palm‑tree fibres that cascade around the body. Her face and hands are tufted wool, while a halo of doilies crowns her head. Behind her, layers of acrylic paint, oil pastel, synthetic hair, wool beads, cowrie shells and patches of her grandmother’s fabrics create a patterned background.
The icon recalls Shaggy Bear, a Barbadian carnival character that performs with the Tuk bands. The snakes stitched to the floor symbolize escape; the philodendron leaves speak of fertility and abundance, while diamonds echo divine structures in Caribbean practice. Together these elements weave a richly symbolic composition that invites us to summon memory and enlightenment.
See it in person
Icon for summoning memory is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
