Le'Andra LeSeur's Monument Eternal at Pioneer Works explores Black spirituality and racial history through film

Le'Andra LeSeur's exhibition at Pioneer Works in New York showcases her seven-minute film, Monument Eternal (2024), featuring her slow-motion falls atop Stone Mountain, where she was raised. This prominent rock formation is home to a massive equestrian relief, created between 1915 and 1972, honoring Confederate figures Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. The film critiques this monument, pulling back to expose the mountain's extensive geology and the relatively recent emergence of symbols of white supremacy. Accompanied by a gospel version of 'Nobody Knows the Troubles I've Seen' and LeSeur's poetic voiceover—declaring, 'I am a sanctuary that has been dancing to someone else's rhythm'—the work invites reflection on Black corporeality, spirituality, and land. The visual tension lies in her ambiguous fall, which blurs the line between falling and hovering, as the film fades to black before impact, reinforcing her message that 'we don't have to break.' The exhibition, which includes a stained glass piece titled A soft place to land… (2024), runs until December 15, 2024, examining the connection between Black spirituality and sites of racial violence like Stone Mountain.