Rindon Johnson, Paths wind through woods. Dogs chase their tails. Smiles light up faces. Laughs echo loudly. Dreams take flight. Hopes rise high. Waves roll gently. Children skip merrily. Words convey thoughts. Maroon. Time heals wounds. Minds seek answers. Fates twist and turn. Truths reveal slowly. Lives unfold daily. Manifestation is such a chore. Say it a loud, see it how mouths: a companionable environment can engender impressive thirstiness, 2023

2023

Medium

Ash wood, leather, crayon, oil, colored pencil, acrylic and wax

Dimensions

188.5 × 100 cm

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-155904

“Paths wind through woods. Dogs chase their tails. [...]” (2023) is a freestanding sculpture made of leather, in which Johnson works the hide on both sides and stretches it into a frame made of ash wood. At first glance, the anthracite-colored surface of the leather looks like a chalkboard that can be rewritten over and over again. The use of cowhide as the basis of the drawing also evokes associations with parchment – the predecessor of paper – in which a thin animal skin has been used as writing material since ancient times. Here the cowhide becomes sculpture, painting, and at the same time, an architectural element. However, the leather is not only a canvas, but it also symbolizes the cultural influence of the animal material. With the choice of material, Johnson takes on the skins and, through their presentation, refers to the multifaceted resource and the resulting subjugation, neglect, and interchangeability of living creatures by humans. The actual act of skinning, a violent transgression of bodily boundaries, exemplifies this form of objectification. Johnson's works in leather underscore the recognition of animals' agency and question the ethics and sustainability of our profit-driven interests in relation to animal products. At the same time, “Paths wind through woods. Dogs chase their tails. [...]” transfers these questions to identity politics, class issues, and practices of racial exploitation.