Easton Selby: Rootwork

Easton Selby’s exhibition Root Work is directly influenced by the spectrum of religious belief systems, mysticism, and magic that creep below the surface of Southern soil. 

For Selby, the word “roots” brings to mind a number of deeper meanings: the roots of giant live oaks lining Southern boulevards, the roots of family heritage, the roots of religion giving stability and nourishment to believers. The exhibit title plays on the term “rootwork,” a form of black magic conjured by Hoodoo root doctors for a variety of reasons, from healing the spirit to bringing harm to those who have themselves done harm. 

Root Work consists of wax-covered photographs that focus primarily on Southern archetypal imagery, folklore, and the creation of the artist’s own religion and the deconstruction of self through the conjuring of “roots.” 

On view in Cheekwood's Temporary Contemporary Gallery.

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