Shannon Alonzo

‘The piece has a life of its own. It ages over time.’

This is how Trinidad-born interdisciplinary artist Shannon Alonzo (b.1988) describes her mixed-media sculpture Washerwoman. The artist explores themes such as collective belonging and a sense of place. The organic materials of this striking, slightly grotesque artwork – resin, beeswax, and brown cotton – are intended to age before the viewers’ eyes in the Theseus Temple.

Washerwoman highlights the invisible labour of women, specifically the historically and contemporarily gendered activity of washing textiles. Above all, it pays homage to the work of Caribbean women and their contribution to our cultural heritage.