Shelby Head
Providence, RI
My art practice challenges social and linguistic constructs in the United States through precisely crafted artworks organized into collections.
MessageThis work critiques the erosion of civil rights through a framed excerpt of the Fifteenth Amendment, its letters cut into styrofoam backing covered with wallpaper and stuffed with red cotton rags. The carved-out text suggests the literal removal of promised freedoms, while the red rag evokes blood, labor, and historical violence rooted in slavery and systemic oppression. A worn broom leans nearby, symbolizing rights swept away in mundane acts. Decorative wallpaper clashes with solemn words, exposing democracy’s slow dismantling through quiet, persistent injustice.
- Collections: An Infrastructure Of Silence, Beyond the Whitewash
Other Work From Shelby Head
© Shelby Head, 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Artwork Archive