Dorner Prize

Artist Njari Anderson grew
up in the Caribbean and the U.S., exposed to and surrounded by the effects of hunger.
His sculpture, Fountain, takes the form of an adolescent boy who
functions as a vessel for Anderson’s childhood memories. Standing at five feet
tall, the boy steps forward, reflecting his surroundings. His slender limbs,
distended belly, and swollen ankles highlight the boy’s condition. He leaks tea
from his navel. The liquid discolors his reflective skin and the ground beneath
him, staining where he stands.

Anderson shares:

Researching
my relationship with hunger over the past two years has allowed me to reflect
on my upbringing. My family learned to subsist on very little—a million
creative ways to stretch food to feed a dozen people. My grandmothers, to whom
I owe the world, would soothe my hunger pangs with tea. This ritual was
routine; the warm, sweet liquid tricked me into thinking I was full. My body
holds onto those memories and every day I drink tea to make the hunger pangs go
away.

Fountain engages with care from the recipient's
perspective. Because hunger is the primary communicative medium, the work asks
us to consider the labor required to keep this emptying vessel full. When I
refill it, I am a caretaker, at times a performer, attempting my best
impression of those who have cared for me.