Colony
Erin Morrison solo exhibition
Ochi Projects, Los Angeles
September 7 - October 5, 2019.

© Ochi Projects, 2019
Checklist download: PDF

Ochi Projects is pleased to announce Colony a solo exhibition by Erin Morrison. This is her
second show with the gallery. For this exhibition, Morrison will unveil a new body of painted bas-
relief sculptures influenced by historical currency produced in the European settled colonies of
the New World. Please join us for the opening on September 7th from 6-9PM.
Greeting the viewer upon entry is a three-panel mural depicting 15 snakes. Writhing in rows and
woven together, the serpents create a mesmerizing, undulating patterned cloth that recalls the
deceptive serpent of Genesis. Cast in tinted gypsum and rendered in low relief, the tessellation
references histories of weaving and domestic labor, while evoking the sinister undertones
surrounding snakes throughout mythology. While some stories connect the serpent to human
kind’s fall from paradise, many more stories have placed similar blame on the true root of all
evil: Money.
“Inimica Tyrannis America” is a Latin phrase that appeared on some of the first coins designed
by the United States of America shortly after the Declaration of Independence. Although the
phrase was broadly interpreted as “America fiercely opposes tyranny,” literally translated
however, the phrase actually reads, “Unfriendly Tyrant, America.” The coin depicts a female
figure standing with one foot on a British crown while holding a bow in one hand and a
downward facing arrow in another. Today, the irony of the coin’s symbolism, which was clearly
lost on our forefathers, challenges whatever noble beliefs one might hold about the way
American history has been presented. The horrific way early Americans “settled” this country is
riddled with troubling contradictions that we, as a country, must take into account moving
forward.
To create these works, Morrison worked with hand-cut stencils, casting each over-sized coin in
a polymer-modified gypsum and meticulously gilded each piece with metal leaf. Morrison then
patinated each coin using a combination of traditional processes involving vinegar, baking soda,
liver of sulfur and egg whites to give each piece a unique and realistic chemically aged
appearance.