Exemplifying the complex sculpture she's become renowned for, this energetic mixed media work of rubber, metal, and wood by Chakaia Booker constantly vies for the eye's attention with its interwoven materials. Visually engaging in its chaotic arrangement of strong rubber forms, this piece speaks to the strength of African American identity as well as evoking ideas of defiant beauty from the salvaged parts. Using the different shades of black rubber and the textures found throughout the work as a metaphor for skin color, traditional textiles, tribal scarification, and notions of slavery, Booker embraces every aspect of her sculpture's components to express African American identity and survival.

This work is accompanied by a painted steel pedestal measuring 36 x 18.2 x 11.2 inches.

African American sculptor Chakaia Booker (b.1953) addresses issues involving race, physical typology, tribal heritage, and scarification in her work. Fascinated with materials, Booker uses rubber tires and discarded fabrics to create her complex sculptures, embracing the shades of black and intricate textures found in tires as metaphors for African American identity and cultural survival. The toughness of the rubber as well as the use of abandoned materials relates to her personal narrative and her struggle against adversity. Booker received her BA in Sociology from Rutgers University in 1976 and her MFA from The City College of New York in 1993. Booker’s work has earned her numerous exhibitions at galleries and museums worldwide including the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI (2011) and the National Museum of Women in the Arts (2012).

Select Public Collections:
Metropolitan Museum of Art National, New York, NY
New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY
Bronx Museum of Art, Bronx, NY
Laumeier Sculpture Park and Museum, St. Louis, MO
Neuberger Museum of Art, Westchester, NY
Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY
The Studio Museum in Harlem, Harlem, NY