Dominique White's "Deadweight" Interlaces Culture, Art, and the Force of the Sea

Private View of Dominique White: Deadweight, Whitechapel Gallery, London, 2 July 2024.

Artist Dominique White, recipient of the 9th Edition of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, stated, “I have consistently been intrigued by nautical themes, particularly as they relate to Black identity and the concept of escape,” in a film chronicling the creation of Deadweight. “Deadweight manifested as the recognition that escape is unattainable, leaving only annihilation.”

 This compelling belief, shaped by her Afrofuturist and Afro-pessimist ideas, guided the creation of this artwork. What is the outcome? A collection of four monumental sculptures shown at the Whitechapel Gallery, serving as a platform for White to investigate Blackness and the restorative capabilities of the sea. Her fictional realm embodies the dynamic, defiant essence of the sea and instills in her the aspiration for “a (Black) future that remains unrealized, yet is imperative.”

But the sea’s transformative powers were also not lost on White. As part of the creative process, the artworks were immersed in the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the rusting and oxidisation of the metal structures and fragmentation of natural elements like raffia and driftwood.

Deadweight was realised during White’s residency, which saw her travel Italy to work with specialists in naval and maritime history and the Mediterranean slave trade, along with experts in metalworking techniques. The residency is a six-month bespoke experience offered to winners of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, a collaboration between Whitechapel Gallery, Max Mara and Collezione Maramotti to support and nurture UK-based emerging women-identifying artists.

Deadweight will be shown at the Whitechapel Gallery from 2 July 2024 to 15 September 2024 and at Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, Italy from 27 October 2024 to 16 February 2025.