Artist EJ Hill is presenting a deeply personal and spiritually charged solo exhibition at 52 Walker gallery in New York, where art becomes an act of faith through his unique blend of performance and traditional artwork. The show, titled "Low-slung Promises on the Tongues of the Devout," runs through September 13 and features Hill himself as the centerpiece, kneeling in silent prayer during all gallery hours.
The exhibition draws heavily on Hill's Catholic upbringing while creating what he calls a secular spirituality focused on healing and hope. The gallery space has been transformed into a contemplative environment featuring paintings, church kneelers, mixed-media works, and two striking neon installations. The most unusual aspect is Hill's daily presence as a living artwork, positioned within a large curtained area in the main gallery space.
Visitors first encounter a tall white neon rectangle flanked by square paintings made from multicolored vertical stripes. These paintings are actually composed of church kneeler cushions bearing indentations from the artist's own knees. A long wooden church pew faces the wall, creating an arrangement that evokes modernism's sacred spaces, reminiscent of installations like the Rothko Chapel or James Turrell's light works.
The exhibition's emotional core lies in Hill's understated but powerful presence. Viewers can glimpse him through a sliver in crimson curtains, where he maintains a prayer stance throughout gallery hours. Behind Hill, visitors can enter the curtained area to view a more elaborate neon work featuring a white Ionic column with an attached blue cloud mounted on the wall.
This durational performance adds profound meaning to what might otherwise seem like conventional gallery objects. Hill's quietude and devotion transform the space from a simple art exhibition into something approaching a spiritual experience. The artist's physical presence cuts through potential cynicism and offers viewers a genuine sense of solace and contemplation.
The performance carries additional layers of meaning given Hill's identity as a Black artist in a predominantly white gallery space. Unlike previous performance artists such as Chris Burden, who performed his modern-day crucifixion "Trans-Fixed" in 1974, Hill's work must navigate the complex dynamics of performing identity for a largely white audience in a blue-chip gallery setting.
Some individual artworks in the show, including colorful paintings depicting clouds and flowers, might seem overly simplistic on their own. Hill displayed similar works in 2022 at OxyArts in Los Angeles, where they carried perhaps too much conceptual weight. However, in conversation with Hill's live performance, these pieces gain deeper significance and emotional resonance.
The exhibition demonstrates how durational and endurance performances naturally carry religious undertones, as artists both give of themselves as art and endure suffering for their craft. Hill positions himself uniquely as both creator and symbol, inviting gallery visitors to participate in his gesture of faith rather than simply observe it.
By interweaving devotional themes with performance art, Hill creates an offering rather than a pose. His approach to spirituality becomes accessible to anyone entering the gallery space, regardless of their own religious background or beliefs. The neon signs, which might typically evoke nightlife or consumerism, take on an otherworldly, almost sacred quality in the daylight gallery setting.
The exhibition was curated by Ebony L. Haynes and represents Hill's ongoing exploration of faith, identity, and healing through contemporary art. "Low-slung Promises on the Tongues of the Devout" continues at 52 Walker, located at 52 Walker Street in Tribeca, Manhattan, providing visitors with a unique opportunity to witness art as both object and lived experience.
