James Drake: Tongue-Cut Sparrows

In this exhibit, El Paso artist James Drake explores the phenomenon of women and men coming together on the streets, communicating with loved ones incarcerated in the El Paso County Jail. Instead of using words, they use sign language with their arms and hands. Drake’s art is “direct and confrontational yet he has no political agenda, choosing instead to present the particularity of the human condition on the border.” This exhibition has three main elements: projected video images, large-scale drawings, and a hand-bound book, all of which contribute to providing a range of intimate, physical, and thoughtful interactions with the art.