amongst the trees they built
by sumin hwang
ITCHY SOUR CANDY
Exhibition on view at:
Emergency Room Gallery
April 21-28
Sewall Hall, #402 // 10 AM - 5 PM
Online artist statements with Q&A occurred Saturday, March 13 @ 7:00 PM
Recording available here: vimeo.com/ricemediacenter
Centering insights and commentary from current undergraduate organizers on the subject of labor in the university, this diptych references and spotlights the histories of labor exploitation that have been foundational to Rice’s legacy. Spotlighting often forgotten labor histories and considering the role trees and lumber have played in the contemporary landscape of Rice, amongst the trees they built considers how solidarity spans both space and time, as well as how current student organizing efforts work to actively resist the same structural forces that have buried and normalized patterns of exploitation within universities. The final stanza of the work envisions a more liberatory future from the perspective of students - imagining the ways in which we can envision and manifest more for us, together.
