This publication will accompany Ellen Gallagher's exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center, which will feature twenty new drawings and a site-specific sculpture. In all of her work, Gallagher merges traditional abstraction with social commentary; this surprising union results in engaging and poetic works that examine the cultural signs of race. The major sculpture in this exhibition and catalogue will have the appearance of a jungle gym, and will be formed of obsessively painted, intertwined wooden dowels. The book as a whole will include essays by several prominent scholars, and will present Gallagher's interest in cultural history, science, and science fiction.