Bound, 1968, Bethany Collins

Bethany Collins uses language to explore the nuance of racial and national identities. In her Contronyms series (2014–2018), Collins selected dictionary entries that contained contradicting definitions. For example, the word “bound” can mean tied in bonds or to leap onward. These definitions often contain political references from the time the dictionary was published. Collins erased all the words except the contrary definitions to expose a need to revisit them. These sculptures are made of the shavings produced by erasing.