2016
Installation view

Courtesy of Edel Assanti, London

2016
Installation view

Courtesy of Edel Assanti, London

2016
Inkjet print on metallic paper (x2), cubic zirconia and clay
24” x 24” (each frame )
2” diameter (clay token)

A silver ring purchased from The Hudson’s Bay Company for $35 was modified by replacing its cubic zirconia with a $1,200 diamond. The inside band was engraved with “Original Artwork, B.G. 2016” before the ring was returned to the store for a full refund.

Detail

2016
Inkjet on archival paper

Photo of the purchased silver ring with cubic zirconia.

4” x 4”

Detail

2016
Inkjet on archival paper

Photo of the returned silver ring with diamond and engraved authenticaton.

4” x 4”

Detail

2016
2” diameter

Cubic zirconia pressed into clay leaving the artist’s finger print.

2016

Shepherd and the Witch draws on the symbolic resonances of the shepherd’s crook and the broomstick to explore themes of labor, marginalization, and resilience within capitalist structures. Inspired by Silvia Federici’s Caliban and the Witch, the piece transforms a $5.99 broom into a hybrid object, merging the labor-associated broom with the shepherd’s crook—an emblem of pastoral care and resistance. The removed portion of the broom, carved into a functioning flute, evokes the relationship between art, craft, and survival under systems that commodify labor and suppress dissent. Returning the altered object to its retail origins underscores the broom’s historical roles as both a domestic tool and a symbol of rebellion.

2016
Inkjet print on lustre paper, wood, paint, lacquer and velvet
30” x 67” (each prints)
12” x 1” (flute)

2016
Wood, paint, lacquer and velvet
12” x 1”

The removed section of the broom handle was carved into a functioning flute.

2016
Inkjet print on lustre paper, hessian thread
15” x 10” (each prints)
6” x 4.5” (each glove)

A ball of Hessian thread labeled “HAND-CRAFTED IN INDIA” was purchased and replaced with a tri-colored yarn (red, white, and blue). The Hessian thread was used to knit a pair of gloves sized for a ten-year-old boy, symbolizing the relationship between British colonial expansion—referenced through the East India Company—and child labor as a consequence of imperial control. This work evokes themes of forced labor and the exploitation inherent in colonial economies, highlighting the imposed roles of both material and labor in the service of empire.

2016
Inkjet print on lustre paper, steel, leather and rubber
22” x 68” (each print)
21” x 5.5” x 1” (slingshot)

This work examines the transformation of labor tools into primitive weapons, highlighting the latent violence within objects of everyday labor. In the installation ARM (with In Advance of the Broken Head) (2016), a standard shovel purchased from Home Depot is photographed and displayed on the left. The image on the right documents its transformation: the shovel’s “Y”-shaped handle has been cut off and replaced by a baseball bat handle, symbolizing a shift from tool to weapon. This diptych, titled ARM, is accompanied by the original “Y” handle, repurposed as a makeshift slingshot titled In Advance of the Broken Head, displayed to the right. Following these modifications, the shovel was signed, authenticated, and returned to Home Depot for a full refund, reintegrating it into its commercial origin while subtly challenging its intended function and inherent associations.

2016
Inkjet print on lustre paper
19” x 28.5”

A bird poster purchased from IKEA was transformed through a series of interventions. After cutting out each bird, the original poster was photographed. On a same-sized sheet of paper, various species of pigeon—a bird symbolically tied to labor—were illustrated and colored. The newly hand-illustrated poster was signed, authenticated, and returned to IKEA for a full refund, re-entering the commercial environment. The cut-out birds were mounted on tree branches and displayed either on the ground or suspended off walls, juxtaposing the labor-associated pigeon with the original depictions in a gesture that challenges the commodification of nature within consumer culture.

2016
Inkjet print on lustre paper
19” x 28.5”

2016
Paper and wood
Dimensions variable

2016
Inkjet print on lustre paper and steel
15.5” x 38” (frame)
1.5” x 1/8” (nail)

A “gallery hook” purchased from Home Hardware was modified by replacing one of the three original nails with a replica cast in 24k gold. The repackaged, authenticated item was then returned to the store. The original nail, removed from the package, serves to mount a frame displaying process images of the transformation. This work probes themes of value and substitution, juxtaposing mass-produced objects with precious materials to challenge notions of worth within consumer contexts.

2016
Inkjet print on lustre paper

One nail removed from the package

2016
Inkjet print on lustre paper

Nail replicated in 24k gold and placed in the pacakge

2016
Inkjet print on lustre paper
12” x 16” (each prints)

Trouble in Paradise by philosopher Slavoj Žižek, known for his provocative commentary on contemporary politics, served as the medium for this intervention. After reading the book, Žižek’s name on the cover—originally textured like white chalk—was traced with white glue and dusted with cocaine, creating a layered commentary on his controversial persona. The altered cover was then authenticated in matching font and size before being returned to Chapters. This work explores themes of authorship, subversion, and the commodification of intellectual dissent within consumer spaces.