A subdued blue light permeates the sunroom where the visitor encounters Stephanie Dinkins’ pyramid made from stacked, open books. A gilded rocking chair crowns the top while cotton, black-eyed peas, lima beans and okra seedlings spring from the spaces between the pages of certain books. Simple actions - dancing, washing and waiting - are presented on three small screens hidden among the books. A video of muddied hands leafing through a book, exchanging soil with words, is projected from the pyramid to the space between the two windows. A Spiritual softly hums in the background. During the course of the installation these plants that are so closely associated with the agrarian South, with nourishment and struggle, will attempt to survive under the weight of words, thought and knowledge, and to thrive as the base of this pyramid.

Stephanie Dinkins is an interdisciplinary artist who explores issues of value and visibility. She has exhibited internationally including Veni Vidi Video II at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY; Combio Constante III, Monesterio de Veruela, Spain; Socle du Monde Biennial, Herning Kunstmuseum, Herning, Denmark. She has created site-specific installations in a variety of settings including the Soap Factory, Minneapolis, MN; Castle Cimelice, Cemelice, Czech Republic; Art/Omi, Omi, NY; and Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island, NY. She has received grants from the Puffin Foundation, the Trust for Mutual Understanding, the Lef Foundation, and Philip Morris, and participated in the Whitney Independent Studies Program at the Whitney Museum of Art, and the Artists in the Marketplace Program at the Bronx Museum of Art. For more information www.stephaniedinkins.net.