Sherrill Roland was packing to leave for grad school, where he’d be pursuing an MFA in studio art at thechildhood bedroom in Asheville, N.C., and Roland had the whole day to languidly pack.
was, but the alleged crime had taken place in Washington, the officer said, and Roland needed to travel there and turn himself in immediately so he could appear in court. The start of grad school would have to be put on hold. “A lot of my work, it’s really trying to amplify my experience,” he says. “I assumed I had agency out in this world as a free man that I later realized I didn’t.”His solo exhibition “Sherrill Roland: do without, do within”. It’s his second solo show with the gallery — the first was at its New York location last year — and his first art exhibition in Los Angeles.
In jail, Roland passed his time writing letters, staring up at a dirty cell window. A series of wall sculptures, “Boneyard,” are vertical diptychsand windows from city jails. They’re made of concrete, cut steel and cotton, the latter referencing “bed sheets, state-issued T-shirts, white socks, white boxers, two of everything,” Roland says. Each frame features rectangular shapes that resemble elongated window panes, with different numerical configurations inside each one.
The large-scale installation “Conflict Resolution” is particularly effective. The work brings to life an unpleasant memory from Roland’s time in jail. After the HVAC system broke in his housing unit during the muggy heat of a D.C. summer, the guards provided tall standing fans, which blew air through slots in the cell doors. With far fewer fans than cells, inmates were soon fighting over them.