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In Mmhhmm, Lyons’s sewn figures and room-sized installation recoup the characters and context of cultural traditions that continue to shape black identity in America. Lyons leverages an exuberant humor to address ideas of exclusivity and ownership, making space for dialogue surrounding the reclamation of group identity and oral traditions. In referencing folkloric characters from the Antebellum period, Lyons examines their cultural influence from the plantation-era South to the contemporary.

Additionally, Lyons is releasing a pair of ready to wear garments: I’M TRYING MY BEST TO PLEASE YOU, I HOPE I’VE MADE YOU HAPPY; the newest iteration of the artist’s deft gestures at conversations on race, luxury and ownership. Presented as a “three way, two piece” partnership with fictional collaborators PRODA and GUCCHY, the collection’s launch coincides with Mmhhmm as a natural expansion of the artist’s practice. Lyons prods at the commercialization of identity, peddled through the facade of empowerment, inclusion, and the legion of public conduits who serve as advertising. Though the artist seems to invoke this dynamic in jest, it jarringly illuminates the relationship between influencers and capital.

Special thanks to Maddie and Amanda from Women’s History Museum, Claire Christerson, Diamond Stingily, Alexandra Severino, Linda Cadel, Yves B. Golden, Isabell Burns, and Vita Kurland.