D.C. performance artist Sheldon Scott is not known for lying down on the job. Ritualizing the role of Black labor in U.S. history, Scott has performed hard tasks at lengths that both test his endurance and represent the travails of his exploited ancestors. But he took a more restful approach in the June performance that inaugurated “Altar of Repose: I’m Gonna Lay Down … ‚” his Connersmith show: He reclined all day on a hammock stretched across the gallery’s front yard.
Inside the building are seven handmade hammocks that symbolize relaxation, but also craft, tradition and, of course, toil. The pieces are made primarily of white rope that the artist turned partly black by burning, tarring, painting or — in a piece that refers obliquely to noted African American performers — embellishing with sequins. Also dark are the shadows cast by the…
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