Throne
Artist
Wangechi Mutu
(Kenyan, born 1972)
CultureKenyan
Date2006
MediumWooden chair, wood, leather, wine, glass bottle, and rubber stopper
Dimensions110 × 45 × 36 in. (279.4 × 114.3 × 91.4 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2018.4
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThrone is sculptural piece comprising an antique wooden inspired by ordinary country chairs found in colonial English design. The chair has a small hole in the middle. The antique chair also sits on 3 sets of wooden extensions. A glass wine bottle is suspended approximately 2 feet above the chair by a steel cable.Label TextWangechi Mutu Kenyan (b. 1972) Throne, 2006 Mixed media In Mutu’s piece Throne the artist questions multiple notions of power and privilege. Her “throne,” an elongated, antique wooden chair atop thin, spindly legs is much different than historical thrones, massive structures often elaborately decorated. Thrones represented the wealth and power of the leader siting upon it, and often a symbol of the unending legacy of that nation. Mutu’s chair, with its simplistic and top-heavy structure implies that seats of authority are not as firm in contemporary society. Influence and control can break if foundational beliefs and principles are not solid. Moreover, there is an element of performance, with a bottle hanging above the piece dropping red wine into a hole in the seat, emerging on to the floor beneath. Mutu has created a ritual questioning the power of museums, which are traditionally understood as “sacred” spaces of cultural preservation. Though museums are not the same as churches, temples, mosques or synagogues, they do hold a level of prestige. Throne’s performance reminds viewers that though rituals were not traditionally done in museums, contemporary society has shifted what museums should and could be for its communities. Museum purchase 2018.4
