Hell and High Water
Hell and High Water, connects a storm from the artist’s past with today’s cultural and literal storms. The show manifests itself as a body of work populated by reoccurring symbols alluding to the dualistic experience of a storm, from the chaos of the squall to the eerie calm that follows. Originally the idea of the show stemmed from a storm that occurred in the artist’s hometown in Arkansas in 2019. During this storm, Colin personally was caught driving on the outer edge of a tornado, before watching his town flood like never before under the rising Arkansas river.
Following the storm, the city’s religious leaders met to form a unified message about the cause of these disasters. The message they offered to their congregations was not based in fact, but instead in fear and manipilation. They proposed:
Due to our society’s embracing of profanity, a proliferation of gender expressions, and sexually affirming policies, God chose to send these horrific storms as punishment.
Some religious leaders rejected this hateful scapegoating, but most amplified its message.
This show attempts to explore what this “counter-culture storm” might look like in response to this ridiculous allegation. It is an act of protest against these fabrications and a sign of solidarity with the many people who are oppressed under the Christian Nationalist movement.
