The Spirit of Lolong

Update 2024

Lolong came to life in late 2015 and went on display at the Golden Belt Main Gallery in Durham, North Carolina. After the show was over, Lolong was dismantled and stored in pieces in my studio. He moved to my sister’s house in 2017 and we reassembled him and gave him a home in the attic. Even though I knew he was there, I was always startled when I went up to the attic—there he was, glowing white in the dark space, enormous and (almost) alive.

When I moved to a house out in the country in 2021, there was no place for him inside. With the help of several friends, I wrapped Lolong up tight in numerous tarps and hoped for the best.

In November 2023, I decided to check on Lolong and my friend Charlie and I unwrapped him carefully. What we saw was astonishing—the elements had crept in over the years and Lolong was partially destroyed and completely transformed. When I made Lolong originally, he was painted white all over to illustrate his spirit form. Instead of white, the surface was an incredibly complex surface of mottled green, gray and brown mold.