mutual realm

celt

carved yellow cedar, MDF, OSB, glue, screws, joint compound, wire mesh, patch tape, duct tape, latex paint, cardboard, 150gal reptile tank, vehicular dashboard, steering column, sink bowl, cedar driftwood, graphite powder, argan oil, Valvoline red grease, 6’ x 2’ x 5’, 2025

channel

carved yellow cedar, MDF, OSB, glue, screws, joint compound, wire mesh, patch tape, duct tape, latex paint, barn cupola, lightning rod, ziploc bags, plastic bags, mulch, 4’ x 4’ x 10’, 2025

sieve

carved yellow cedar, MDF, glue, screws, joint compound, wire mesh, patch tape, duct tape, latex paint, 65gal rainwater collection barrel, 55gal trailer antifreeze storage container, 5gal paint buckets, 5gal water container, 1gal container, ½gal containers, bell jars, oak burl, woven branch basket, bread dough dish, copper bowls, copper orb, glass dish, plastic cups, plastic water bottles, plastic bags, styrofoam container, aluminum foil, aluminum tape, toothbrush, USB stick, USB-c converter, plaster, paint thinner, soil, rosemary, eucalyptus, magnolia leaves, horseradish root, dried ginger, dried eggplant, dried sweet potato, dried wax peppers, black beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, lentils, barley, rice, oats, anise, black tea, beet kvass, kool aid, coffee, water, antifreeze, fruit pits, various seeds, seed pods, 6’ x 3’ x 5’, 2024

Informed by systems of belief and power that humans have created to grapple with the unknown, mutual realm positions aspects of speculative futures, present-day-truth-telling, and the everyday construction of histories among one another in the form of sculptural assemblage. The work illustrates how storytelling builds worlds, assigning value to things by inscribing them with desire. In parts fact and fantasy, sculpture is considered as a form of sorting, bringing to light the experience of living between publics whose methods for setting boundaries, communally agreed upon superstitions, and algorithms for making meaning mark unconscious thought and affect daily trajectories. In the work, processes kin to craft and rural labor are paired with institutional set building and the photograph-as-document to question impulses to archive, collect, and hoard. Ultimately, these efforts come together to make space as it exists in countless forms– as blueprints, dreams, or real and lived experiences.

mutual realm was exhibited with the Institute of Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA in 2025. Documentation images by Josh True and David Hunter Hale.