Let Go Byes Be Go Byes // We Never Dreamt of Labor I & Let Go Byes Be Go Byes // We Never Dreamt of Labor II
Title
Let Go Byes Be Go Byes // We Never Dreamt of Labor I, Let Go Byes Be Go Byes // We Never Dreamt of Labor II
Year
2022
Size
16 feet wide as installed, 4 feet x 6 feet each
Materials
Powder coated steel roller conveyors
Series
Created for the exhibition Another Justice: US Is Them, Hank Willis Thomas & For Freedoms at the Parrish Art Museum. The exhibition was organized by Corinne Erni, Senior Curator of ArtsReach and Special Projects, with support from Brianna Hernández, Curatorial Fellow, and co-curated by Hank Willis Thomas and Carly Fischer.
The Let Go Byes Be Go Byes series is built from factory conveyor rollers and painted in brilliant color. The conveyors point to manual labor while their arching forms recall minimalist sculpture. Pastel and metallic hues lend a sense of play to an otherwise utilitarian object of labor. Based on interviews with Paul Council, Jr., the language and form are rooted in the colorful storytelling traditions of the Council, Seymore, Seymour, Eleazer, Foster, and Ward families, who also worked in agriculture in the Hamptons, adjacent to the site of the Parrish Art Museum. These particular works speak to my personal and familial histories and celebrate survival.
"All work is good work."
- Mama Sarah
Permanent collection of Parrish Art Museum
