Shelby Head
Providence, RI
My interdisciplinary practice investigates the social and linguistic constructs that shape identity, history, and collective memory in the United States.
Message"Grab Them by the Ballot" transforms a ballot from democratic choice into an instrument of force. A wooden mannequin hand tightly grips a crumpled absentee ballot, encased in an acrylic box with the door open, suggesting broken containment. The floral wallpaper contrasts with the violence of the gesture, exposing how ordinary civic rituals can be disrupted by political power.
Referencing the FBI's seizure of election-related ballots and documents in Georgia, the work asks whether the ballot remains a protected expression of public will or has become a contested object in the struggle over democratic legitimacy.
- Collections: What is this?
© Shelby Head, 2024. All Rights Reserved.
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