Works from “Coming Through the Gap in the Mountain on an Elephant” curated by Robert Pruitt

@ Texas Southern University Museum

Coming Through The Fear of Impossibility on a Myth performance featuring Abijan Johnson (in front of In Order of Things) (2013)

Performance, assembled wood, 25ft wood assembled wood sculpture, gold paint "InOrder of Things", a collaboration with artist Monica Villareal, is a 25ft circumference sun created from a conceptually specific 11 primary parts. Made of wood and gold paint as a reference to international material mythologies. "Coming Through There Fear of Impossibility on a Myth" is a collaborative performance with dancer Abijan Johnson based upon a poem I wrote. The poem is played in the gallery as audio for the performance where Johnson and myself, analyze and configure multiple assembled pieces of wood to form a tower "in front of the sun". At some points the structure is assembled around her as a container and then she climbs through and gets on top over time. After the performance the tower became part of the larger "sun" installation. The title is a play on the exhibition's title "Coming Through the Gap of the Mountain on an Elephant."

Key Asque Enter Face (Texter's La Bor Tory installation) (2013) 4ft x 4ft x 5ftEngraved Wood, Computer, Photo Enlargers, Metal, Gold Paint This is the center piece for the "Texter's La Bor Tory" installation of the "Coming Through the Gap in the Mountain on an Elephant" exhibition. I created pieces based upon the idea of time shifted technology used as alternative tools of inquisition. This computer station all for audience interaction and performative use and misuse. Although part come from photography enlargers as a reference to "magic and technology", it also contains an engraved wood carving of pathways as a table referencing the other works.

TreEminisha James - New Dream A.G.E. (2013) 5ft x 1ft x 8ft Bike Rims, Steel, Gold Paint This is the "stage left" piece for the "Texter's La Bor Tory" installation of the "Coming Through the Gap in the Mountain on an Elephant" exhibition. It combines the ideas of an educated negro kidnapped by magicians in the opera of Treemonisha and my perspective on the intellectually valueless lyrics of Trinidad James "All Gold Everything." Using a reframe to reference dreams and bike wheels to reference travel and growth.

F.O.C.U.S. on This Acronym means Nothing (2013) 40in x 4in x 40in Engraved Wood, Acrylic, and Embedded Lights This is the "stage right" piece for the "Texter's La Bor Tory" installation of the "Coming Through the Gap in the Mountain on an Elephant" exhibition. The work functions as a play on vision/focus games. But the pattern is a reference to the 4 chord harmony of a musician named Lightning Hopkins who develops his talent and reputation near the location of the exhibition. A subtle light brightens the piece in a ring two inches from the edge of the work.

In Order Of Things