DISCUS THROWER (AFTER MYRON) 2016

This sculpture, *Discus Thrower (After Myron)*, is by Yinka Shonibare. It imagines the figure of the Greek discus thrower covered in colorful patterns. I think about Shonibare in his studio layering these wild floral textiles onto a classical form. These famous textiles have a double meaning because they're inspired by Indonesian batiks that were mass-produced by the Dutch, then sold in West Africa. So, right away, we're in a globalized world of cross-cultural exchange. There's a kind of joyful chaos here, like Myron's ancient athlete has been given a vibrant, contemporary makeover. The body is frozen in this dynamic pose, all tension and coiled energy. But then the head is a globe! I wonder if it's about the weight of the world on one's shoulders, this pressure to perform and compete, literally throwing yourself into the future. All artists know that feeling. It reminds me that art making is an act of optimism, and that artists keep the world in motion, in play, in color.