Jamal Cyrus
Ancestral Relic, 2020
bronze, Sargassum, plastic
10 1/4 x 9 1/4 x 8 3/4 in (26 x 23.5 x 22.2 cm)
JCY 93
Further images
This work consists of found bookends in the style of Albrecht Dürer's Praying Hands and sargassum-seaweed from the Sargasso Sea-that is bound in plastic. Sargassum is a power-material that has...
This work consists of found bookends in the style of Albrecht Dürer's Praying Hands and sargassum-seaweed from the Sargasso Sea-that is bound in plastic. Sargassum is a power-material that has been deployed elsewhere in Cyrus's practice, and here it has an uncanny resemblance to a brick of cocaine. Cyrus has stated he is interested in the dual nature of the work that depends on how it is read. Formally, the work's power-status is foregrounded by the height of its installation at 68 inches.