Chakaia Booker
American, born 1953India Blue, 2001
On view
Rubber tires and wood
Dimensions73 × 43 × 38 in.
Bequest of Russell J. Cameron, by exchange, and partial gift from the Friends of Modern Art, 2002.11
Chakaia Booker is known for her rubber tire sculptures, which has earned her the nickname “Queen of Rubber Soul.” This work is made up of rubber tires that are twisted and entangled in one another. Instead of a tough, industrial look, the appearance of the tires is softened by how they bend and hang in a flexible manner.
The process of making the rubber tire sculptures is very physical. Booker uses a variety of saws and drills, and for larger sculptures, uses a computer to create models beforehand. According to the artist, “Wheels suggest mobility and progress but also the way humankind confines itself to old ideas and attitudes.”
Booker earned her BA in Sociology at Rutgers University. She earned her MFA from City College of New York. She currently works in New York and Pennsylvania.
