rodneyewing.com - Gallery


"The Measure of a Being" 2010 Dry pigment and Permanent marker on paper. This is the first of three works addressing the incident of Port Chicago. The images of the heads that is utilized in all three images is a section from a diagram comparing "negro" skulls to that of monkeys. I have eliminated that portion of the diagram, focusing only on the measurement aspect. The text "other being equal, others remain the same", refers to the responsibility and conditions that these men were placed under; continue to work bravely, expect nothing in return.		"The Rituals of Water" 2010 Dry Pigment and Permanent marker on paper. The second of the three works about Port Chicago, reflects a baptism scene. The individuals are looking up toward the sky as if they are asking for assistance, but they are communicating a message in morse code "Am I not a man, am I not your brother". A phrase featured in 18th century abolitionist literature, that unfortunately still resounded during WWII.		"No God in This Machine" 2010 Dry Pigment and Permanent marker on paper. The last of the three works in reference to the treatment that a group of African America sailors that perished and those who refused to return to work after an ordanance explosion during WWII. The sailors safety and civil rights were disregarded before the explosion, and after the situation declined even more. This piece refers to the machine that simultaneously offers a hand of opportunity and disdain.


"Discord" 2009 Discord is about two ideologies manifesting themselves in the from of sound. One being attack helicopters, the other being the call to prayer. When these two entities attempt to occupy the same space, there is a rift and a tearing of elements; creating memories best forgotten, and casting permanent shadows with remnants of better days.		"Life on Mars" 2009 The Gods are not crazy, man is. Who else would try to create a second sun fueled by the fossils of past species? This is a record of my time in the first Gulf War, where after a very long day, I noticed the sun setting in the Western and Northern sky. This was the day I realized the absurdity and gravity of this conflict. I imagined Mars, the God of war galloping across this field, saluting our latest attempt for glory, but perhaps thinking "I tire of these games".		"The Detritus of our Fun" 2009 The flying blocks creating this wall represent the divisions humanity has burdened itself with. Segregating, splitting, and conquering our way to riches and "safety", but at what cost. The text in the work states" Mountains will be in labour, and a ridiculous mouse is born. So much work, and the result is absurd". So much bravado, and we are still scared creatures looking for places to hide.


Vestibules and Alleys, 2009, Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper. “Vestibules and Alleys” refers specifically to the landscape of the West Bank. The area is currently divided by a wall (often referred to as “The Wall”) that divides Israel from Palestine. It also separates Palestinians from their crops and families by deterring and impeding travel. This construction erected for safety can be seen as a modern day equivalent to Hadrian’s Wall, erected by Romans to protect their empire from the indigenous Picts. Upon visiting the West Bank and Jerusalem “The Wall” occupies the same space where Roman columns once stood, this brings the question: in the future will the wall the separates Israel from Palestine also be viewed with the same historical nostalgia ? The purpose of this drawing is simple: compare and contrast two elements that serve the same purpose - a retention wall and a Roman column built to establish governance. The two pieces of text that accompany the images are used to further connect the history of these two cultures. “Nulla dies sine linea” (no day without a line…author unknown), and a section from the poem “State of Siege” by Mahmoud Darwish. Both speak about boundaries, occupation, and time operating as physical space, a nuance that is often overlooked when documenting history. By placing elements of the past with those of the present, I created a composition that documented how each are tragically interchangeable, timeless, and prone to repetition.		Where-House, 2009, Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper. “Where-House” contains many of the same ideas of “Vestibules and Alleys”, but the elements contained within are both contemporary examples of urban architecture created under the guise of safety and shelter. As with “Vestibules” the composition is split in two. The top of the piece contains an image of what is left of the Cabrini Green housing project towers in Chicago that are finally being replaced with actually homes. The towers for decades were synonymous with poverty, and violence, and the often held as the worst example of public housing. As with most housing projects in the United States, phrases such as home, living, and community were never part of the functioning vocabulary of the structure. It is what some cultural geographers refer to as “urbanacide.” Now the towers are finally giving way to mixed income housing. Did the powers- that- be finally learn that housing people in such a manner not only takes a toll on the residents in the immediate vicinity, but also the inhabitants of the city at-large? But as these projects are being eliminated, new types of buildings are being erected in the name of security. One in particular is called the “Metropolitan Detention Center. The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) is a nine-story Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facility located in Brooklyn, New York. During the first week after September 11, 2001, a portion of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) of the ninth floor of the MDC was converted into the Administrative Maximum (ADMAX) unit to house “High Interest” September 11 detainees. The FBI classified “High Interest” detainees as individuals with “the greatest potential to be linked to” to the September 11 attacks. The inhabitants of this facility have little to no contact with the outside world, including legal representation or family. Just like the residents of the housing projects that are supposed to be living, the inmates of the MDC have little to do with due process. The bottom half of the composition is a cross section of the MDC, provided by one of the detainees. The two buildings are connected by the text “Flights of blank stares, opaque windows…perfect conditions for fading away.” This text describes not only the physical similarities of each building, but also their functions.		Passport, 2009, Dry pigment, Collage, and permanent marker on paper. Passport. The elements in this composition are derived from two different sources. The first is a set of x-rayed hands r that are in the center are examples from a company called Verichip. Verichip is developing a subcutaneous tracking chip that they are suggesting to implant within military personnel. This RFID chip (Radio Frequency ID) is also being proposed for individuals to pass into secure areas, indicate medical conditions, and to make payments. The hands in the composition contain these chips. The second element and the text that surrounds the hands, is a replication of a bill of sale used by a slave trader in a transaction of a human being. The text, which describes the sale of a young woman, has been altered to include the viewer as part of the sale, not only as witness but also as captive. The combination of these two components; a proposed technology that could potentially serve as a prison without walls, and evidence of a societies transgression against another, reminds us how casually flesh can be folded into an instrument that it was not intended for, and how easily we forget this fact.


"Helix" 2008 Dry Pigment and permanent marker on Paper. "Helix" is one of three images created for the exhibit Public Safety. The content of this series is comprised of mandalas, created from objects that are used mainly for destructive purposes. A mandala is a generic term for any chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos, metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the universe from the human perspective. A mandala, especially its center, can be used during meditation as an object for focusing attention and spurring epiphanies. This particular mandala employs separations walls that are used in the West Bank and the border between United States and Mexico. These instruments of apartheid surround the text " Imperialism should be a love song, like a slow groove that ends abruptly and never replayed". The title of the work comes from constellation of the same name. I use the constellations as backgrounds to further the idea of mandalas helping us find our place in the cosmos, and that life continues despite our best inventions to the contrary.		"Revolver" 2008 Dry Pigment and permanent marker on Paper. "Revolver" is the second of the mandalas created from objects that are used mainly for destructive purposes. This mandalas focal point is a barrel from a 38. caliber hand gun. This weapon purpose has no other use than to harm, which is the purpose of hand guns. But unlike other mass produced weapons, this hand gun can be acquired by ordinary citizens. Revolver as a mandala questions the existence of this device in our lives.		"Xibalba" 2008 Dry Pigment and permanent marker on Paper. "Xibalba" also known as the Orion nebula, represented the Mayan underworld. The mandala here uses the stealth bombers as its focus. A device that elevates people and places to an underworld for our safety.


B-2 Mandala. 2008, Cut paper installation. Front view. This mandala created from 600 paper stealth bombers was created to question the function and need for the device in our lives. The geometric beauty of the plane lends itself to the process. But the fact is that this mechanism, in addition to many others, plays a central role in our defense; given the reality of how much these systems cost to build and maintain, our emphasis should be on examining this among others that comprise the microcosm of our safety.		B-2 Mandala. 2008, Cut paper installation. Side view.		B-2 Mandala. 2008, Cut paper installation. Detail center view.


"Intimate Peril pt. 1" 2008 Wood light box. "Intimate Peril" is based on the body scan devices that are now being employed at airports. These devices are able to look underneath an individual’s clothing and reveal the contours of a person’s body. The device has caused some controversy because of its invasive nature. But as revealing as the devices are, they do little to reveal the personal nature of the individuals they scan. My idea was to use these scans and present them in a manner that examines the social and cultural ramifications of this particular method of promoting safety.		"Intimate Peril pt.2" 2008 Wood light box.		"Intimate Peril pt. 3" 2008 Wood light box.


1. "Apostle" 2007 Dry pigment, permanent marker,sumi ink, and transfer lettering on paper. The next 9 images are from the "Disarm" section of my exhibition "Public Safety". These works based on target silhouettes are targets are normally contain information to gauge accuracy with a firearm. The targets are characterized as featureless bodies. I also use this technique, but instead of being marked by reference points for gun fire, these targets contain messages for the viewer/shooter based in poetic empathy or reflection.		2. "Compass" 2007 Dry pigment, permanent marker,sumi ink, and transfer lettering on paper.		3. "Defense" 2007 Dry pigment, permanent marker,sumi ink, and transfer lettering on paper.


4. "Eclipse" 2007 Dry pigment, permanent marker,sumi ink, and transfer lettering on paper.		5. "Emancipation" 2007 Dry pigment, permanent marker,sumi ink, and transfer lettering on paper.		6. "Old School" 2007 Dry pigment, permanent marker,sumi ink, and transfer lettering on paper.


7. "Pause" 2007 Dry pigment, permanent marker,sumi ink, and transfer lettering on paper.		8. "Antibalas" 2007 Dry pigment, permanent marker,sumi ink, and transfer lettering on paper.		9. "Lullaby" 2008 Dry pigment, cut wood, marker and transfer lettering.


"Stolen Moments" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper. "Stolen Moments" represents the idea of time and sound intersecting to become a specific unit. This particular moment is the sound of a clock ticking, and slowly being replaced by the sound of a gun bolt locking into place. These sounds are meaningful to the people of the Darfur region of Africa. The metrenome for these individuals carries weight and power.		"Cavalier" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper. The ultimate Hybrid vehicle for the residents of Gulf states after hurricane Katrina; equal parts FEMA trailer and slave ship.		"Preach" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.


"Telephone Conversation" 2007 Dry pigment, transfer lettering on paper. The individual in the piece "Telephone Conversation" name is Corporal Eugene J. Bullard. Eugene Jacques Bullard, the first African-American combat pilot, was one of 200 Americans who flew for France in World War I. I chose to use his face with the text by Wole Soyinka, because the idea of aerial combat and the aerial linguistic combat (or as Wole phrases it "public hide and speak") that Wole and the landlord engage in during the conversation. Maneuvering around each other, running away, aligning each other in their sights, and committing to an action that cannot be taken back.		Detail: "Telephone Conversation" 2007 Dry pigment, transfer lettering on paper.		"Center Mass" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.


"Conception" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Dervish" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Deter" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.


"Echo" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Epiphany" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Every Other Brother" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.


"Ground Zero" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Levitation" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Grave Digger" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.


"Marrow" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Overlap" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Plasma" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.


"Rosary" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Searching" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Trepidation" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.


"Untitled" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Visitors" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Vapor" 2007 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.


"Birmingham" 2004 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Walking" 2005 Dry pigment, collage, and permanent marker on paper.		"Disappearing Acts" 2005 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper. paper.


"Self Defense Lessons: Thug #1" 2006 Dry pigment and permanent marker on paper.		"Goree`" 2004. Dry pigment and graphite on paper.		"Means" 2004. Latex paint and permanent marker on paper.


"Days and Occasions #1" 2006 Graphite on paper.		"Days and Occasions #2" 2006 Graphite on paper.		"Between the Lines" 2005 Graphite on wood.


Days and Occasions 2007, Graphite on wall Installation. Entrance view. How do we live? We exist simultaneously between seconds that can be apocalyptic and graceful, minutes that are mediocre, and hours that stand still. We rest on legacies of unsettled boundaries and stolen territories. Our identities have been mistaken, assumed, and in some cases, purchased. History records these occurrences, outlined in ink, pressed between pages in books, placed above us, and out of reach. But this tradition cannot truly document our experiences. We are flesh and bone, and our memories and stories beloved. “Days and Occasions" involved recording our experiences as they occur between the seconds, minutes, hours, and days of our existence. The purpose of the piece is to view time and moments as simultaneous constructs that are shared, instead of linear pieces that are less intimate. The title is taken from a collection of poems by Octavio Paz.		Days and Occasions 2007, Graphite on wall Installation. Left wall and Back wall view.		Days and Occasions 2007, Graphite on wall Installation. Exterior wall view.

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