Alison Saar consistently grapples with issues of race (specifically of the African diaspora) in her work, at the same time paying homage to great art and artists of the past. Born in Los Angeles, the middle of three daughters of pioneering Black assemblage artist Betye Saar and art conservator Richard Saar, Alison Saar grew up in a household filled with creative energy and a broad range of art objects—all of which fueled her desire to create work reflecting what she has called “the plurality of her own experience.”

Vulcanized (Tony), is a life-sized male figure, casually smoking a cigarette even as he is wrapped in strips of rubber that allude to the historical bondage of Black slaves, along with African traditions of fabrication as well as contemporary urban and industrial settings. The sculpture’s title refers to Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, the forge, and metalworking—the last also evoked by the figure’s neckpiece.