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Kristine MAYS

State of the Union

January 15 - March 7, 2026

Opening Reception Thursday, January 15th, 6-8PM

Kristine MAYS

Speak the Truth

2023

painted steel wire
47 x 24 x 12 inches
KMA 041

And the speaking will get easier and easier… And you will lose some friends and lovers, and realize you don’t miss them. And new ones will find you and cherish you… And at last you’ll know with surpassing certainty that only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth. And that is not speaking.
– Audre Lorde


(The words “speak the truth” are woven into this champagne colored dress.)

Summary

Modernism is proud to present a selection of twelve poignant political sculptures in Kristine MAYS: State of the Union. Reflecting upon the concept of DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion) and its dismantlement in 2025, Kristine Mays examines the current political and social climate in the United States, exploring the nuances of race, war, power, intimidation, nationalism and identity. This body of work emerges from Mays’s grappling with ideas surrounding the betrayal of the "American Dream." Witnessing the disconnect between national ideals and lived reality compelled her to create this vulnerable, raw, painful, and confrontational body of work.

 

Just as Robert Rauschenberg employed the American flag to interrogate national identity and politics in works such as Signs (1970), Mays created This Is America, an American flag constructed of wire, with beads hanging from its frayed edges representing blood and tears.

 

Sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed the Statue of Liberty to represent ideals of equality, democracy and freedom. Mays presents Birthing Greatness as an optimistic expression anticipating the change-makers that will soon shape the world.

 

Sculpting simple human forms, much like Keith Haring’s faceless figures that reveal no hint of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation, Mays’s Human Complacency includes everyone as she confronts our involvement in the issues unfolding in the country.

 

Employing a unique sculptural method, Mays bends and hooks rebar tie wire together with pliers, one piece at a time. Each piece requires at least sixty hours of labor, during which she gives form to a human body or garment without reliance on a mold or model. Especially remarkable are the gestural qualities that make the works appear both animate and soulful. “I am breathing life into wire,” she says. “With each work, I create a form that reveals the essence of a person and that speaks to humanity as a whole.” Quotations accompanying her sculptures often provide important context for full appreciation of their content.

 

In the words of Nina Simone (American singer, pianist, songwriter and civil rights activist), “An artist’s duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times.” Mays does exactly that, offering a harrowing but hopeful portrait of the state of the union.

 

San Francisco native Kristine Mays has exhibited across the country since 1993. Her work is held in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington D.C.), The Arkansas Museum of Fine Art (Little Rock), and the Crocker Art Museum (Sacramento). Mays was the Grand Finale Winner of the 5th Annual Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series National Competition in 2015. She was the artist-in-residence at the Bayview Hunters Point Shipyard in San Francisco 2011-2013. She has also served on the Board of Directors for ArtSpan and participated in the San Francisco Open Studios program for over 20 years. Seeking to create impact and change with her art, Mays has participated in raising thousands of dollars for AIDS research through the sale of her work by collaborating with organizations like Visual Aid, the San Francisco Alliance Health Project and WE-Actx.