Latest Work
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Rainy Day
Shoelaces on painted canvas
38” x 80” -
Magic Conch
Shoelaces on painted canvas
38” x 80”
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JET 1955
Shoelaces on painted canvas
48” x 60” -
JET 1956
Shoelaces on painted canvas
48” x 60” -
EBONY 1961
Shoelaces on painted canvas
48” x 60”
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Fur in '55
Shoelaces on painted canvas
48” x 60” -
Jina Lola
Shoelaces on painted canvas
48” x 38” -
Winter is Coming
Shoelaces on painted canvas
48” x 60”
“This is NOT a basketball”
This piece is a recreation of a newspaper photograph. The photojournalist caught a candid moment at a Harlem Globetrotter event as Pearce delicately places the spinning basketball onto a child’s finger. The piece consists of basketball fragments. Pearce’s thought behind the piece and its title shows what a basketball can do - or rather what you can do with a basketball. This round piece of rubber is whatever you decide to make of it. For some, it’s a key to education. For others, it’s a magnet attracting people from different cultures. It’s a global language. It’s a vehicle that can take you to places that you never thought you would be
“Flo Jo”
$15,000 (SOLD)
“Flo Jo” is the recreation of legendary track star Florence “Flo Jo” Griffith-Joyner crossing the finish line after winning gold in the Women’s 100 meters final event during the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. Pearce made the piece with shoelaces, sneakers, and track spikes.
Aside from setting records in the 100m (10.49 seconds) and 200m (at 21.34 seconds), Griffith-Joyner became a household name and a trendsetter for women’s fashion. She designed all her track uniforms and went on to design some of the uniforms for the Indiana Pacers. She was also known for her big hair, chunky jewelry, and long, painted nails.
In 1989, Flo Jo was accused of taking performance enhancing drugs, or PEDs. The Olympic Committee rebuffed the claims, saying she tested negative for PEDs. This demonstrates how viewers and the media can discount exceptional Black athletes, and even more so for Black female athletes.
“WIN”
Created out of basketballs, footballs, shoes, and shoelacesThis piece recreates the famous photo of what’s now known as the Cleveland Summit. Twelve of the most prominent Black male athletes gathered in Cleveland to decide if they would lend their support to Muhammad Ali.
Ali faced charges for refusing to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. Many of these athletes had different ideas on the advancement of Black people in America, but their ability to convene and ultimately unite is the most significant part of the event.
Ali’s firm stance was not changed despite many of the athletes pictured disagreeing with him. Pearce believes this moment in history is important because it shows the power of using your platform. These athletes sacrificed money, popularity, and even freedom in order to stand united.
Pearce believes its historic moments like this that align with his artistic morality — showing men and women who are much more than athletes. While Jim Brown’s legacy outside of sports is deplorable, it does not negate the value of this moment. This was a huge win for Black progress and sports in America.