Julia Phillips creates sculptures that resemble tools or devices. Their titles describe the functions of these instruments and the physical and psychological toll they could inflict: Penetrator, Exoticizer, Muter.

Pairing ceramic elements with metal armatures, Phillips references the human form in her work through casts and physical impressions of her own body. However, the body is never depicted in full, allowing viewers room to imagine their own participation and complicity in the acts suggested by her sculptures. Drawing upon a range of influences, from functional objects (furniture, armor) to Black feminist thought and theory, she underscores the body and the psyche as sites upon which power and control are routinely enacted and claimed.

Comprised of three new sculptures and one installation, “New Album” represents a change in tone for the artist, focusing on interactions entered into willingly, such as negotiation and mediation. For the first time, Phillips positions the interacting parties symmetrically, highlighting the mutual nature of these works.