Cultural Stacks, 2022
Clay
28 x 12 x 13 in.
71.1 x 30.5 x 33 cm
When they ask us why we tote our belongings on our heads, we will tell them that our minds and our bodies, together, are stronger than our arms. Then we will ask them how it is that they didn’t know that one. The market does not wake up ready. The pepper, soft drinks, clothing, shoes, brooms, and dishpans arrive one by one, having been carried, hauled, and pushed. Cultural Stacks molds these objects and this culture into a form that is as delicate as it is sturdy. Michael Dela Dika’s sculptures display the weight of these objects in how the heads that hold them have contoured under the pressure—eyes bulged, mouths grimaced. Still, strength and perseverance reside in the ability to bend without breaking.