Image via Romer Young Gallery
What is your relationship to Osei-Duro?
Osei-Duro has been clothing me for ages. I met Molly over 10 years ago and began a deep friendship with her and became a big fan of her work. The clothes keep me inspired while they support me during my busy days and nights. They are sturdily built and fun to look at.
Because I have collected a couple pieces from every season since the beginning, Osei-Duro is a big part of what’s in my closet. I wear something by them most days. The clothes are effortless. They are fun to look at and wear, and they don’t restrict my movement. They make me feel great while I’m running around all day. I love the feel of the natural fabrics – sturdy cottons and delicate silks, hand-crochet, batik and block prints.
I’m a maker so it’s important for me to know how something is made. How things are made is part of what a thing is. I love that the clothes are made in Ghana by Ghanaians. I love that the fabrics are hand dyed and printed. I love knowing that Osei-Duro gear is made in collaboration with people Molly and Maryanne have close relationships with.
What do you do?
I am an artist. I spend most of the day in the studio making sculpture from clay, denim, steel and bits of detritus like cell phone cords, ear buds and old trench coats.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration from well-loved things. Things we use in our daily life that make life better; things we use every day that we don’t even think about anymore. I incorporate these things in sculpture as a way to look at them again, reflect on them, discover what they tell us about ourselves and how we live, think, act.
What advice do you have to offer someone who is just starting out?
Always fight for good and for equality, always contribute more than you take, and find ways to help others. This is how we create community, how we become part of the fabric that supports us all.
What should we check out in your city?
Look out for the debut of my sculpture Psychic Body Grotto in early 2017. It will be sited at the new Downtown Los Angeles State Historic Park, just north of Chinatown. It is a room-sized bronze sculpture, a sort of “figurative gazebo.” It is for meetings and rituals that have yet to be invented.
Recommend something to us!
Please check out: www.annasewhoy.info, and my galleries: www.vsf.la, and www.koenigandclinton.com in New York!
Which living person do you most admire? / Who are your heroes in real life?
Fearless makers and thinkers: Rei Kawakubo, Isa Genzken, K8 Hardy, Charles Gaines, My Barbarian, Jean Genet (no longer living), Laurie Weeks
Photos of Anna Sew Hoy: Saewon Oh
Top banner image courtesy of the artist