Lorna Simpson

Bits and Pieces, 1989

5 silver gelatin prints, 7 engraved plastic plaques - 73 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 2 in (186.7 x 59.7 x 5.1 cm)

Dividing Lines, 1989

2 dye diffusion color Polaroid prints, 8 engraved plastic plaques - Overall: 57 x 71 x 1 in (144.8 x 180.3 x 2.5 cm)

Easy for Who To Say, 1989

5 dye diffusion color Polaroid prints, 10 engraved plastic plaques - Overall: 28 x 110 in (279.4 x 72 cm)

Good Twin Evil Twin, 1989

2 silver gelatin prints, 12 engraved plastic plaques - Overall: 41 x 65 1/4 in (104.1 x 165.7 cm)

Guarded Conditions, 1989

18 dye diffusion color Polaroid prints, 21 engraved plastic plaques, 17 plastic letters - Overall: 84 1/4 x 148 1/4 x 1 5/8 in (214 x 376.6 x 4.1 cm), "In Guarded Conditions, it is possible to detect the first signs of Simpson's linguistic code and the social reality that gives it its public and private meaning...Dressed in a shapeless white shift and standing upon a wooden pedestal, the figure of the woman is located in multiple situations of institutional repression and surveillance, such as slave auctions, hospital examination rooms, and crimincal lineups...The row of figures with their arms folded behind their backs calls up images of those women who stand guard against the evils of world on the steps of black fundamentalist churches on Sunday mornings." Wright, Beryl J.

Kid Gloves, 1989

5 dye diffusion color Polaroid prints, 5 engraved plastic plaques - Overall: 29 1/2 x 114 3/4 x 1 1/4 in (74.9 x 291.5 x 3.2 cm)

Memory Knots, 1989

5 silver gelatin prints, 10 engraved plastic plaques - Overall: 18 x 60 in (45.72 x 152.4 cm)

Necklines, 1989

3 silver gelatin prints, 2 engraved plastic plaques - Overall: 69 x 72 1/2 x 1 3/4 in (175.3 x 184.2 x 4.4 cm), "Several of Simpson's works engage us in the signifying ritual. In Necklines, 1989, for example, Simpson places the words "necktie," "neckline," "necklace," and "neckless" beneath three different shots of a woman's neck. Each repetition and revision of a word that begins with "neck" suggests another situation this woman may encounter. Perhaps she will be forced to compete "neck and neck" with men who wear "neckties," or she will engage in "necking" with her lover. The homonyms "necklace" and "neckless" suggest more gruesome scenarios such as being strangled or decapitated by a piece of her jewelry." -Yasmin Ramirez Harwood

Proof Reading, 1989

4 silver gelatin prints, 4 engraved plastic plaques - Overall: 40 x 40 in (101.6 x 101.6 cm)

Three Seated Figures, 1989

3 dye diffusion color Polaroid prints, 5 engraved plastic plaques - Overall: 31 x 94 1/4 x 1 3/8 in (78.7 x 239.4 x 3.5 cm), "The plain white background, the bright, even lighting, and the frontal pose employed in each bring to mind identification photos or mug shots. But, unexpectedly, all three are cropped just above the woman's chin and below her knees, giving us few clues about her situation. Clad only in a white sleeveless shift, so plain it reveals nothing personal, she holds her arms at her sides, her hands alone betraying a slight tension as they rest on or grasp the edges of the table. Considered by themselves these images ages convey the apprehension and vulnerability many women feel in a doctor's sterile examination room." -Bonita McLaughlin

Untitled (2 Necklines), 1989

2 silver gelatin prints, 11 engraved plaques - Overall: 68 1/2 x 70 in (174 x 177.8 cm), "An untitled work from 1989 pairs two circular black-and-white close-ups of a woman's neck and shoulders with a vertical row of black plastic plaques bearing words corresponding to acts or objects that encircle, among them "lasso," "noose," and "collar." Our interpretation of these words might vacillate uncertainly between the innocuous and the insidious were it not for the red plaque below them: the phrase "feel the ground sliding from under you" swings the pendulum in the direction of lynchings and other terrors." - Bonita McLaughlin

Untitled (a lie is not a shelter), 1989

Silver gelatin print - 59 x 48 x 1 1/8 in (149.9 x 121.9 x 2.9 cm)

Untitled (a person is known for the company he keeps), 1989

2 silver gelatin prints, 2 engraved plastic plaques - Overall: 30 x 16 in (76.2 x 40.6 cm)

Untitled (prefer, refuse, decide), 1989

3 dye diffusion color Polaroid prints, 3 Plexiglas plaques - Overall: 24 3/4 x 68 1/4 x 1 1/4 in (62.9 x 173.4 x 3.2 cm)

Untitled (Copenhagen Billboard), 1989

Untitled (Whitney Museum at 125th St.), 1989