System Structures

A new series of text paintings explores poetry and conceptual thought through the use of typography, combining language from hip-hop lyrics, pharmaceutical drug warnings, and political speeches. These works ask viewers to consider how language reinforces authority while also offering moments of resistance and cultural affirmation. Another group of text-based works are made from prison soap, beeswax, and concrete, and feature Arabic writing that references Islam’s complicated role in the American prison system.

These works reflect Massillon’s ongoing research into how Black men in prison have turned to Islam as both a structure for survival and a means of spiritual resistance. In one installation, a preacher’s podium is suspended from the ceiling of the gallery, while the preacher’s belongings such as notes, shoes, a robe, and personal items are scattered across the floor. This work questions the role of religious leadership and spectacle and invites viewers to consider how spiritual authority is constructed and maintained.