American Artist Brings Science Fiction Into Reality in ‘Shaper of God’

by

Presently, Pioneer Works is hosting a solo exhibit by an American artist, influenced by the life and impactful works of science fiction icon Octavia E. Butler. The exhibition, titled “Shaper of God“, mirrors themes from her groundbreaking novel “Parable of the Sower” such as climate change, unbridled power, and corporate excess. This thought-provoking display combines sculpture, installation, drawing, and video in a striking manner to convey these ideas.

This exhibition seamlessly blends the profound, imaginative universes conceived by Butler with personal glimpses into her life, revealing her powerful, politically charged imagination shaped by her lived experiences. In “Estella Butler’s Apple Valley Autonomy” (2024), the artist re-envisioned her grandmother’s chicken coop and delved into how its burning sparked the prominence of fire in her best-known tales. Accompanying the sculptures displayed are a collection of drawings, carefully hand-drawn and preserved within glass cases – priceless, historical artifacts from Butler’s collection at the Huntington Library.

Similar to Butler, Artist grew up in and around neighborhoods such as Altadena and Pasadena – areas that have been largely impacted by the recent Los Angeles wildfires. They shared with ARTnews in a recent interview that it’s both sweet and sad because their work is essentially a tribute to those places. Perhaps this tragedy will provide a deeper appreciation for their art, as many people are now familiar with Altadena. It seems as though, in a way, they are introducing this place to the world, but viewers are coming to it aware that it has been destroyed by fire.

Focusing on location and environment, the artist underscores the deep ties that influence our existence. In “To Acorn (1984)” (2022), the artist draws upon Butler’s attachment to the city bus network, merging stop signs denoting Butler’s travel route during novel writing with assorted aspects from her literary realms. At the base of these signs, steel agave blossoms stand as a symbolic boundary, alluding to the collective shielding of Acorn in the initial Parable book, which the artist points out, “implies that creating community offers our greatest hope for endurance.

Shaper of God is now on view until April 13, 2025.

Pioneer Works
159 Pioneer St,
Brooklyn, NY 11231

Read More

2025-01-30 21:26