Jeffrey Meris

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Black Woman and child, 2023, silicone, hydrocal, and steel

Black woman and child (2023) is a recasting of Madonna Lita using silicone, both as a medical reference and a recurring sculptural motif. Black woman and child (2023) is connected to Meris’ earlier kinetic series, Now You See Me; Now You Don’t. In both of these bodies of work, the subjects are left ‘white’ referencing Mr Krimbo in Ralph Ellison’s epic novel Invisible Man, “if it’s optic white, it’s the right white.”

Black Woman, 2023, silicone, hydrocal, and steel

When Meris was in the fifth grade, he won a school-wide essay competition entitled: “Why is your mom the greatest mom in the world?” He read the essay to the entire school population during assembly. His mother was awarded a silicone Tupperware set for winning the essay contest. Meris still remembers the look on his mom’s face and the cheap plastic bins we went home with that afternoon

and child, 2023, silicone, hydrocal, and steel

The Block is Hot (left),

I, Used to Be XV- XVII (Center),

A Wise Head Keeps A Still Tongue (Right)
Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation on view at Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA, co-curated by Dr. Maurita Poole and Maggie Adler

The Block is Hot, 2020, 96" * 66" * 32", plaster body cast, AC motor, steel, concrete blocks, aircraft cable, U link, pulleys, ratchet strap,

T he Block is Hot, 2020, 96" * 66" * 32", plaster body cast, AC motor, steel, concrete blocks, aircraft cable, U link, pulleys, ratchet strap,

A still tongue keeps a wise head (detail), 2024, ac motor, stainless steel, t-slot aluminum extrusions, plaster, walker, various dimensions

A still tongue keeps a wise head, 2024, ac motor, stainless steel, t-slot aluminum extrusions, plaster, walker, various dimensions

Tét Chaje, 2023, galvanized steel, hydrocal, ac motor, hardware, light fixtures, epoxy resin, various dimensions

Now You See Me; Now You Don't (Installation View), 2020, plaster body cast, AC motor, steel, various found objects, various dimensions

High Heel, 2021, steel, plaster, walker, hand-crank, various dimensions

Muscular Hope, 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, mussel nacre, pearls, syringes, epoxy glue, 18” * 18” * 18”

Muscular Hope (2025) embeds pearls and mussel nacre into the formation of the geodesic sculptures. The dyslexic space between a mussel and an oyster, both bivalves that are capable of producing pearls, is intentional. The embellishment of Muscular Hope (2025) references Junkanoo, the premier cultural festival of The Bahamas, Meris' home.

Muscular Hope, (detail), 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, mussel nacre, pearls, syringes, epoxy glue, 18” * 18” * 18”

In Case you don’t know (Nkisi), 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, Nkisi 3d print using WIDAR, syringes, epoxy glue, obsidian beads, heirloom vintage buttons, 18” * 18” * 18”

In Case you don’t know (Nkisi) is fabricated guerrilla tactics using WIDAR an open source technology to emancipate the Nkisi Nkondi from an esteemed New York institution and return its ancestral knowledge back into the hands of its descendants. The rise of technology and AI softwares present unique opportunities to engage in conversations around restitution allowing me to usurp power, access and information. Nganga (spiritual specialist) employed the Nkisi to resolve disputes, confirm oaths and contracts, heal sickness, and punish wrongdoing or sorcery within a community. It felt fitting that the Nkisi would naturally find its way into my practice and me into its lore.

lotus (detail), 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, doll, 18” * 18” * 18”

lotus, 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, doll, 18” * 18” * 18”

madama, 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, doll, 18” * 18” * 18”

apple, 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, apple-snail, 18” * 18” * 18”

madama of pearl, 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, mother of pearl buttons, religious deity figure, 18” * 18” * 18”

“The Dolls,” delves into the complex dynamics of caring for the human body, be it through medical, cosmetic, or recreational practices. Meris employs a compelling bricolage of visceral needles combined with ready-made Caribbean religious deities, mounted onto 3d printed polycarbonate geodesic spheres.

These sculptures, at once cellular and cosmic, resonate with both universal and deeply personal experiences of living in an immunocompromised state. Bristling with a sense of familiarity, the works serve as powerful reminders of the interconnectedness of personal struggles.

madama of pearl, 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, mother of pearl buttons, religious deity figure, 18” * 18” * 18”

madama (detail), 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, doll, 18” * 18” * 18”

queen, 2025, steel, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, whelk, 18” * 18” * 18”

queen (detail), 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, whelk, 18” * 18” * 18”

madama: in black and blue, 2025, 3d-printed polycarbonate resin, syringes, epoxy glue, doll, 18” * 18” * 18”

Tit for Tat, 2019, steel, plaster, clothes pins, Ghana-must-go-bags, various dimensions

This and 60 million, 2023, sheetrock and embossed roofing paper markings, 48” * 96“ * 9”

This and 60 million (detail), 2023, sheetrock and embossed roofing paper markings, 48” * 96“ * 9”