LAKE CITY, SC (WBTW) – The works of Durham-based artist Stephen Hayes are being taken down from inside the TRAX Visual Art Center after being featured there for two months. Hayes’ series “Cash Crop and New Works” has been on display since May 18.
Hayes says he’s more of a creator than an artist. It all started when he was a kid and broke a toy.
“From there, I was breaking toys and making toys because I was like ‘wow I can break something and make something out of it,’” he said.
Since then, Hayes has been crocheting, blacksmithing, and sculpting. In his series “New Works,” you’ll find three objects in each piece: a chess pawn, an ear of corn,
Since then, Hayes has been crocheting, blacksmithing, and sculpting. In his series “New Works,” you’ll find three objects in each piece: a chess pawn, an ear of corn,
and a horse with its legs cut off. All represent the dangers of materialism.
“With me cutting those legs off and putting different sized legs on it, it’s a symbol that we’re giving everything we need to destroy ourselves,” said Hayes. “So if I was to take this horse down and put it on the ground, it’s going to fall over because there’s no 3 to 4 legs that are the same length.”
And Hayes’ first exhibit, his MFA graduation project that he created nearly ten years ago , was also on display. “Cash Crop” features 15 cement sculptures of shackled people, each one representing 1 million of the 15 million Africans taken to the Americas 400 years ago. Hayes says they depict the past, the present, and the future.
“With me cutting those legs off and putting different sized legs on it, it’s a symbol that we’re giving everything we need to destroy ourselves,” said Hayes. “So if I was to take this horse down and put it on the ground, it’s going to fall over because there’s no 3 to 4 legs that are the same length.”
And Hayes’ first exhibit, his MFA graduation project that he created nearly ten years ago , was also on display. “Cash Crop” features 15 cement sculptures of shackled people, each one representing 1 million of the 15 million Africans taken to the Americas 400 years ago. Hayes says they depict the past, the present, and the future.
“And I chained them all to a palette which represents today and how we outsource our goods from sweatshops in third world countries. Cash crop asks the question ‘who or what is the next cash crop?’”
Hayes says he wants his creations to make people think deeper, reflect, and ask questions.
“Even when they’re walking through and they stumble on the chain, it’s asking the question “Are we still stumbling over the past?’” he said.
“Cash Crop” has traveled to the Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture in Charlotte, North Carolina, and 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia.
Hayes received his MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and has been an instructor at Georgia State University. He will soon be teaching at Duke University.
The exhibition showcase was hosted by TRAX Visual Art Center and Artfields.
