Be True to the Game, an immersive installation featuring nineteen ceramic basketballs arranged across 16,000 pounds of sand. Each ball existed in a distinct state, intact, cracked, flattened, deflated, or ruptured. These variations transformed the familiar object into a site of vulnerability, highlighting tensions between aspiration and impermanence.
The installation’s environment was influenced by devotional spaces, as diffused blue-green light filled the gallery, creating a contemplative atmosphere. Visitors’ movements across the sand gradually reshaped the surface, emphasizing its instability and introducing a sense of precariousness. The repeated motif of the discarded basketball suggested unrealized potential, balancing hope and collapse.
Further reading: Estelle Araya, “Pick of the week: Jairo Sosa,” Artillery, February 8, 2024.
Photos by Evan Walsh