Sable Elyse Smith
Tithe
7 Sep – 21 Oct 2022
JTT, New York

1/5

Sable Elyse Smith: Tithe, Installation view, JTT, New York, NY, 2022. Courtesy the artist and JTT New York.

Tithe explores the intersecting structures of violence, belief, and control through a multidisciplinary practice grounded in poetic repetition and cultural critique. Central to the show is Smith’s “Coloring Book” series—enlarged pages from activity books for children of incarcerated parents—transformed with gestural marks and Christian iconography to reveal how systems like the courtroom are normalized from childhood. The exhibition’s title, referencing the Church’s demand for 10% of one’s income, underscores the economic and moral frameworks underpinning institutions of power. In the new sculpture Gravity, black prison stools merge into a towering crucifix, drawing parallels between religious and carceral architectures and challenging their pervasive invisibility. Tithe follows Smith’s recent presentations at the Whitney and Venice Biennials and coincides with the release of her debut monograph, And Blue In A Decade Where It Finally Means Sky.