A sculptural work that explores the interweaving of microbial and macroscopic worldings, "Polyzome" consists of a hand-blown glass ellipsoid containing a microbial polyculture native gathered from the New York City microbiome resting atop a white perforated clay tower, housing grasses.
Some point down the line, an awareness manifested that I was not a part of the American ideal, or rather, that something bigger believed that I was not a part of the American ideal.
Like a banner at a rally, or a poster advocating for revolution, the art created by the Yoruba people is meant to have life and to be used, whether that function is practical, didactic, ritual, or all of the above.
She hits my foot from under the table. First it’s a mistake, then she beams up at me and does it again, on purpose this time. We both laugh. “What’s funny?” they ask. “Nothing,” we say. Her giggles sound more like squeaks. These moments with Jade follow a formula.
Mendieta’s work is a call to neither only empathy nor only imagination; it implicates the audience as both co-agents and co-artists through participation.