Custody
Dark Mofo, City Hall, Nipaluna/Hobart, Lutruwita/Tasmania, Australia.
In the United States, the death of people in police custody is a severe problem that mainly affects people of African descent and Native Americans. I conceived “Custody” in the context of necropolitics, specifically police brutality, incarceration, and the death of racialized bodies, which also includes First Nations communities in Australia.
I remain imprisoned in a steel and glass installation inspired by the design of hourglasses. The lower level resembles a cell from which I cannot escape on my own. The upper level is filled with sand from the Australian coast, the weight of which gradually falls, burying my body.
Commissioned by The Museum of Old and New Art.
Special thanks to Chris Twite, Amy Rosed, and Caleb Nichols-Mansell.