Lakwena Maciver - Lift You Higher

Maciver’s bold and polychromatic work is informed by the use of decoration as a means of communication. Words and text are central to her art, used as both images and anchors of meaning – drawing upon her formative years in Addis Ababa, Nairobi, and her native city, London.

Lakwena says “my work is informed by decoration as both an aesthetic and conceptual practice. Much of Western culture is centred around the decoration, elevation, improvement and glory of the self. As well as decorating ourselves, as a culture we decorate and give glory to those we deem important because they are perhaps beautiful, intelligent, famous or wealthy. This piece is about elevating and glorifying the other. As women, we are often encouraged to compare and compete with one another. In contrast, this textile work references the history of (often) women co-labouring to adorn and beautify collective spaces.”

All proceeds from this work will go to support UN Women UK’s Covid Response work, which provides emergency humanitarian support and ongoing community resilience for the world’s worst-affected families and communities during the crisis.