Stuck on Stacks, 2020
Stoneware and bricks
27 x 13 x 16 in.
68.6 x 33 x 40.6 cm
Passing along the roadside in Africa, you will encounter many pieces to a whole: tiles for floors, bed frames for mattresses, tires for cars, and bricks for houses. Many cities are still developing, many homes remain under construction, and many cars are prone to needing repairs. Yet, they are still functioning and livable. It’s a balancing act. One that requires gratitude even when striving for more. This kind of stacking toward progress, piece by piece, day by day, is what Michael Dela Dika creates with Stuck on Stacks. 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.