Ballroom alumnus Rashid Johnson — see our archive of photos from, New Growth his 2013 solo exhibition — has a new site-specific work on display in Chicago at moniquemeloche, entitled Remembering D.B. Cooper.

From moniquemeloche.com

Rashid Johnson’s Remembering D.B. Cooper transforms the 25 foot “on the wall” space into one of his iconic shelf works. The “on the wall” work will showcase a mix of Johnson’s signature materials– plants, black wax, books, albums, and shea butter — to explore the notion of escapism, an issue that continues to permeate his multi-dimensional practice. In Remembering D.B. Cooper, Johnson explores the personal as opposed to the political reasons for the famous, unknown highjacker of a Northwest flight in 1971- a media epithet known today as D.B. Cooper; today, the true identity of D.B. Cooper, who parachuted from the flight holding 200,000 worth of ransom money, remains unknown. Since his 2008 solo exhibition at moniquemeloche titled “The New Escapist Promised Land Garden and Recreation Center,” Johnson has carved out a space for a black secret society (the Boule) to study, meet, work, get their leisure on – and yes escape, and the lore of D.B. Cooper is yet another historical avenue for Johnson to mine.

Remembering D.B Cooper will be on display from now until January 4, 2014.