Cy Gavin
Bio: Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cy Gavin received his BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. He lives and works in New York City.
Thesis Exhibition
Artist Statement: These are seeds of Sisyrinchium bermudiana, a small blue iris called the Bermudiana. I collected thousands of these seeds from living plants throughout Bermuda in 2015. I have been fascinated and inspired by a historical figure of resistance in Bermudian history, Sally Bassett. Bassett was an elderly slave who was accused of poisoning her masters and sentenced to be burned at the stake. From her ashes, they say, sprouted the first Bermudiana flower. As she was led to the pyre, Bassett is reported to have cracked jokes about her plight to those rushing ahead to see the spectacle. When accounts of her cool, defiant reaction reached populations in the West Indies, it inspired insurrections and contributed to efforts leading to emancipation.
L to R: Sally Bassett, Laughing (detail), (54˝× 120˝, Acrylic, ink, oil, 2016); Strange Fruit Doily (6˝diameter, Crochet horsehair from deceased horse, 2012)