Temporary Contemporary

July 11 - September 20

Artist Statement:
When the word “Roots” is uttered in the dialect of the Southern tradition the thoughts that flow through my mind are ones of the giant oak trees that once canopied the backyard of my childhood and the thirst quenching roots that kept them alive. Then there is the idea of having “Roots,” in one’s heritage or knowing where you come from, what kind of family you have, and even more important what your beliefs should be. 

Then there is the Hoodoo Root Doctor’s method of conjuration known as ”roots” or “rootwork”. This form of black magic is used for a variety of reasons such as healing the spirit, good luck when needed, or even the darker wishing of harm on others that have already harmed us. 

This body of work, titled “Root Work” is directly influenced by the spectrum of religious belief systems, mysticism, and magic that seeps through the soil of the South. The over bearing weight and presence of religious belief looms heavily in the this region and as time passes the weight created by believers seems to grow even heavier, like the roots that anchor the giant oaks in the ground. “Root Work” focuses primarily on the idea of the deconstruction of self through the conjuring of “roots”, Southern archetypal imagery, folklore, and the creation of my own religion.