“The Right to Bear”

Billie Grace Lynn

C. 2023

Painted latex rubber, steel.

10”x10”x12”

We have the right to bear guns-

or not.

And women should have the right to bear a pregnancy -

or not.

2022 Cow bones, steel, plastic skull, sand. 9’ x 9’ x 9’

Axis Mundi was created to inspire hope and action to save the Amazon rainforest. During a sculpture class, Alexia Rivera, a student from Brazil, expressed despair and grief over the growing destruction of the Amazon rainforest. She told the class that it would be gone in perhaps 10 years. Mining, soybean production, and cattle ranching are the reasons the rainforest is being cut down. The 200 lbs of sand at the base of the tree model the 8 billion human population of the Earth. Each grain of sand represents 20 million people. The cow bones were collected in farm fields.

2023

65' L x 20' W x 12' H
Ripstop nylon, electric fan.

A life-sized inflatable sculpture of a sperm whale.

2019

Billie Grace Lynn, Stella Michie Uyeno

12’ W x 9’D x 26’ H
Mesh fabric, aluminum tubing, video. Video length: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Video editing: Grant Bemis

The hooded sweatshirt has become a symbol of racist assumptions about people of color and now it is being worn by those who wish to challenge those assumptions. Creating a huge hoodie is not only a metaphor for the size of the problem, but also for the difficulty of being able to empathize with people of different backgrounds. This sculptural hoodie will offer an opportunity to inhabit the space of the body that is absent, indicated only by the space the garment delineates. Often what is missing can become highly present if there is space and silence to contemplate.

The Hoodie is suspended from the ceiling and is accessible to visitors by lifting an edge and going underneath into the darkened space created by the interior of the giant garment. Shown in conjunction with Hoodie Stories, a video piece, visitors will be able to hear the stories of African American youth and others of various ages and backgrounds of their experiences related to race. I am beginning each interview with the question, “Do you feel safe?” - the question can be interpreted in many ways, and the responses reveal a wide range of fears, from racism and discrimination to economic insecurity and physical danger.

The black hoodie contained within the white space of the gallery literalizes the institutionalization of racism through structures that perpetuate separation by class and race, whether deliberately or unintentionally. As a white person of privilege I see myself as an ally for those who do not have ready access to elite institutions or a means to express their life situations or concerns. This work is a part of the larger reckoning and healing concerning racial injustice that our country is currently undergoing.

Special thanks to the University of Miami’s Butler Center, Collette Mighty, Grant Bemis, and the students and alumni who participated in this video project: Agnes Archibong, Landon Coles, Torrey Crosby, Kyra Freeman, Kayla Gardner, Elisabeth Guignino, Noor Khaled, Brandon Martin, Blair Reid, Courtney Schmidt, Gabriel Soomar, Melissa Tyconievich, John Van Beekum, Emilie Villaverde, and Asia Williams.

2019

3’ W x 6’ D x 19’ H
Steel, wood, acrylic mirror

This is the first of a series of monuments, this one to our failing democracy in the form of a scale model of the Washington Monument. Approximately 19’ tall, the mirrored obelisk will quiver, waiver, and fall slowly as air currents gently push against its surface. Viewers will have the feeling of being pushed and pulled as their reflections change as the obelisk moves; the ground will seem to be upended as the obelisk falls. When the obelisk is still, it almost disappears in the space, as it reflects the white gallery walls - the gallery itself a metaphor for the normativity of whiteness until something challenges and moves it to change. The words monument and monster share the same Latin root - monere - to remind, to admonish, to warn. Monuments typically are erected to celebrate a great person or moment - but in this case, the monument is a warning and feels slightly dangerous and menacing.

2019

Charcoal, graphite, pencil on walls.
4’ H x 80’ L

This timeline traces 400 years of U.S. history (from the arrival of the first slave ship in 1619 to present) of violence and discrimination against people of color, religious minorities, women, Native Americans, immigrants and LGBTQ people as well as the legislation that was used to support that discrimination or which sought to protect from it.

Visitors to the gallery were invited to add their own personal memories or other events related to hate-motivated violence or discrimination to the timeline.

Special thanks to Ebonie Pollock and Natasha Sealey.

2018

6’ W x 14’ L
Shoes, rocks, pebbles, gravel, video projection.

This memorial to the Tree of life Synagogue shooting victims is in the form of the Kabballah tree of life diagram and is composed of:

- 11 pairs of shoes, one for each of the victims

- 522 white stones for each victim of a mass shooting from 2001 to 2018

- Approximately 300,000 small black pebbles, each one representing 50 AR-15 assault rifles in the U.S. today. There are 15-20 million AR-15 assault rifles and 310 million guns in the United States.

- images of the synagogue shooting victims projected onto a circle at the center of the memorial

The memorial connects this atrocity to other mass killings and ultimately to the proliferation of guns and rise of hatred in this country.  

The Mad Cow Motorcycle Project centers around a biodiesel/waste veggie oil-powered custom motorcycle, covered with real cow bones resembling a running cow skeleton. The motorcycle is built to run on one of the most environmentally friendly fuels, waste vegetable oil from restaurants. I ride this “Mad Cow” around Miami, answering questions about the bike and talking about the environmental impact of factory farming and our food choices. Through humor and spectacle, Mad Cow sparks discussion on these issues. I believe that real change occurs at the individual, family and community levels, and begins with an encounter or rendezvous with something unknown but not unknowable. I hope children will forever have the image of the Mad Cow running by in their minds and that they will be inspired to change their eating habits and get the idea that art can change the way we see and know the world.

Mad Cow Cycles on Facebook

2008
8'L x 2'W x 3'H
Cow bones, bicycle frame, electric motor.

Ongoing
8’ L x 7’ W x 12’ H
Cow bones, steel, brass, mattresses, cowhide.

The “Death Bed” is an installation and performance piece focusing on the meat industry and its impact on the environment and our health. The focal point of the installation will be a queen-size, rococo-style, four-poster bed made from the bones of several cows, which I obtained twenty years ago from a rancher in Mississippi. The highly ornate bedposts and head- and footboards consist of the vertebrae, leg bones, pelvic bones, and skulls, mimicking the decorative excess of the rococo style. A cowhide bedspread covers the mattress. A video of cows grazing in a lush, green pasture, as they once did before the advent of factory farms, will be projected onto the gallery walls surrounding the bed.

Part of the Mad Cow exhibition at Bernice Steinbaum Gallery. [Read review in Wynwood: The Art Magazine]

2008
6'W x 2'D x 12'H
Cow skeleton, cable.

A skeleton of a steer. Part of the Mad Cow exhibition at Bernice Steinbaum Gallery. [Read review in Wynwood: The Art Magazine]

2012
24" x 19" x 12"
Cast glass

2008
10'L x 3'W x 10'H
Calf skeleton, aluminum, gold leaf, glass, cord.

Part of the Mad Cow exhibition at Bernice Steinbaum Gallery. [Read review in Wynwood: The Art Magazine]

2004
7' H x 6' W x 7' D
Steel, bicycle parts, aluminum, wood, horse tail, found objects.

A life-sized mechanical,kinetic horse sculpture. The horse's legs move in a galloping motion as the rider pedals.

2005
8' H x 6' W x 1' D
Steel, iron, plastic, string.
 

Interactive, kinetic sculpture in which the viewer can touch the wooden hand and be touched back.

2005
15' H x 20' W x 12'D
Aluminum, Styrofoam, wood, graphite, cord.

A life-sized interactive, marionette-like sculpture of a woman. Movement is controlled by viewers as they pull on strings.

2010
3'L x 2'W x 10'H
Wood, steel, rabbit fur, string

2000/2005
10' H x 6' W x 6'D
Steel, wood, bird wings, string.

2007
each approx. 10' L x 6'W x 8'H
Ripstop nylon, electric fan.

Elephants carry vast meanings on their backs. In particular, white elephants have been considered sacred since ancient times in Asia. The Buddha was conceived after his mother dreamed of a white elephant holding a lotus blossom. Possessing a White Elephant conferred great prestige on a family but also a huge burden. Keeping a white elephant was very expensive since it had to be provided with special food and accommodations and could not be used for labor. The gift of a white elephant was considered both a blessing and a curse and it bankrupted many recipients, some deliberately.

Another literary elephant is the English idiom, “the elephant in the room” which means an obvious truth that is not spoken or is ignored usually because it is taboo or embarrassing.

Ganesh, the elephant god, whose effigy is found at the entrances of homes, businesses, and temples throughout India exemplifies the contradictions and connections between the known and the unknown. Ganesh marks the transitional space between the sacred and profane. He is a protector and destroyer, and the creator and remover of obstacles.

At this point, the White Elephant is an apt metaphor for our contemporary condition; too expensive to sustain, too precious to surrender, and in a state of rapid change.

May this ancient symbol of transformation remind us to respect each other, to remember the past, and to protect the future. The elephant is able to move silently in spite of its great mass, perhaps we too will learn to step more carefully.

2007
10' L x 6'W x 8'H
Ripstop nylon, paint, electric fan.

Painted by students at the University of West Florida, the University of Miami, and visitors to the University of Miami Project Space.

1993, 2005
20' H x 20' W x 50' D
Plastic, monofilament.

Inflatable fetus sculpture. Originally made for an exhibition in China in response to the "one-child policy" and remade in 2005 for an exhibition, "The Pain of Others," at Edge Zones in Miami.

2003
30' L x 15' W x 12' H
Ripstop nylon, electric fan.

Dead Mouse is an inflatable sculpture which depicts a cartoon character in combat fatigues, dead with blood running from his mouth onto the floor. The size of the mouse emphasizes the scale of the problem - a simple-minded, uninformed, do-gooder America; pressed into service by maniacal, political, capitalist greed. Loss of innocence and the loss of moral authority are the primary concerns of the work. The piece is provocative - it is a wake-up call to speak up about issues and become educated about what is going on in the world.

2016
32" W x 16" D x 64" H
Glass, hoodie, water, aluminum, steel.

"Shadowed Equilibrium" is a piece in memory of Trayvon Martin. The tank is an exact replica of a piece by Jeff Koons entitled, "One Ball Equilibrium." In it he placed a basketball floating in the center of the tank. He explained that the piece was about how basketball is a dream of transcendence out of poverty for black youth. "Shadowed Equilibrium" replaces the basketball with a black hoodie – it is about transcendence through death, but also the death of dreams, and the feeling of being trapped and drowning. 

2010
6'W x 9'H x 1' D
Ripstop nylon, fiberglass, string

2006
Dimensions variable
Models: Wood, metal, dolls. Inkjet prints (approx. 90 in series).

Installation consists of scale models of Abu Ghraib prison, depicting scenes of torture documented in photographs released in 2004 and 2006. Torture scenes were re-created using Barbie and GI Joe dolls and photographed.

2006
8' H x 4' W x 1' D (each)
Plexiglas, vinyl tubing, pump, water, dye.

U.S. flag with stripes of a flowing, blood-like liquid.

2005
8' H x 8' W x 1' D
Foam, plywood, graphite.

2005
8' H x 7' W x 8' D
Wheelchair, plastic, aluminum, video camera, microphones, satellite dish.

A mobile surveillance unit, complete with video camera and microphones. In 2006, the Homeland Security Vehicle was shown at Area 405 Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland, and a performance in connection with the exhibition included a trip to the National Mall and the White House. A video (collaboration with artist Ruth Bowler) of the performance was included in "Digital VD: Viral Video Art," a traveling exhibition curated by Moira Payne, Eddie Summerton and Michael Windle.

2005
4' H x 4' W
Inkjet print.

Eye images consisting of photos of the victims of 9/11.

2008
Dimensions variable
Paper pulp from books, water.

Included in the "Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate" exhibition at the Holter Museum in Montana. From the exhibition website:

The Montana Human Rights Network acquired 4,000 volumes of white supremacist propaganda from a defecting official of the World Church of the Creator. They approached the Holter Museum with the idea to use the books to create art for an exhibition.

More than 100 artists from coast to coast responded to the Holter Museum of Art's open invitation to reflect upon or transform white supremacist propaganda. The astonishing and moving result - in sculpture, video, painting, photography, collage, printmaking, book arts, beadwork, fiber, and performance - is thought-provoking, insightful, and turns dark to light.

...This exhibition seeks to challenge and expand us by bringing us face-to-face with different perspectives, breaking through the limits of our comfort, and taking us beyond familiar ground to new territory.

Our highest hope for this exhibition is that it will start conversations within families and between strangers, and help us all create a better community.

2006
28" H x 12" W x 12" D
Flags

Hoods made from U.S. flags. Limited edition of 10.

2002
Installation at Haas Gallery, Bloomsburg University.

An installation at Bloomsburg University honoring the victims of September 11th.

2003
15' L x 12' W x 4' H
Furniture, cement, wood, steel.

A temporary public art installation in Talleyrand Park in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Consists of typical living room - sofa, chairs, coffee table, end tables, and television set - covered in cement. The goal was to create a setting for social and community interaction, a place where people could sit down and discuss their thoughts and opinions with one another on the events of our world.

2000
Dimensions variable
Mechanical toys, steel, metal stands, laboratory clamps.

2000
Dimensions variable
Mechanical toys

A collection of mechanical animals which have been stripped of their fur. When the animals are set into motion, they interact with each other, in seemingly intelligent ways.