Sharif Bey

Domestic: Commoner

In Domestic: Commoner, Sharif Bey adorns a large-scale ceramic head with an elaborate headdress composed of steel nails, colorful ceramic beads, and oversized glass spoons. The steel nails are a direct reference to the Congolese nkisi nkondi,or “power figure,” reflecting Bey’s ongoing interest in traditional West African sculpture and ornamentation. The inclusion of the large spoons, however, marks an aesthetic shift in Bey’s approach to adornment, emphasizing the beauty in the everyday object and honoring domestic laborers. As he describes, “I seek to elevate her (domestic worker) status and transcend notions of ‘common’ tastes by reclaiming these beat up old wooden spoons to transform them into a material (glass) that is delicate, elegant and in the right lighting, celestial!”