Thoroughbred

2014
PERFORMANCE, SECTOR 2337 CHICAGO, IL

The term “thoroughbred” describes pure-bred horses known for their agility and speed. Referencing the legacy of comparing black bodies to “beasts of burden", four black performers step onto treadmills in a white-walled Chicago gallery space and work themselves to exhaustion. The treadmills, which are controlled by the artist, push the small group of runners to their physical limit as the speed is increased. The implicated spectators watch as the work devolves to one strong runner. What starts in a beautiful unison ends in dramatic fashion, as the performers struggle to keep pace with the accelerating apparatuses.