Jeffrey Hargrave’s work resonates with many wounds left over from this nation’s racist past, when bigotry was unabashedly out in the open. As if reenacting memories of personal captivity, Hargrave’s use of “nigger imagery” describes the transformation a hostage undergoes when identifying with his or her captor in order to stay alive. Standing before his army of disturbing decoys, one feels a need to escape. As within Medusa’s lair, reflecting on the work feels less dangerous than directly gazing.

Jeffrey Hargrave received a Bachelor of Art from the North Carolina School of the Arts, and an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has been artist-in-resident at The Millay Colony, Henry Street Settlement, and Art in General and has previously shown at Art In General, Alexander and Bonin, Tricia Collins Contemporary Art, Exhibit A, ATM Gallery, Suite 106 Gallery, Mitchell Angus, and the Henry Street Settlement.