Shary Boyle’s White Elephant is uncanny. The disproportioned monochromatic figure precariously towers over its viewers at 9 feet tall, evoking a disquieted sensation.
The work stemmed from an original idea to explore the meaning of justice but soon evolved into something grandiose. Boyle reflects, “I thought, ‘it has to be more personal and more specific.’” The goal of specificity led her to consider a character that embodies some of the dilemmas of whiteness as Boyle was experiencing them with the hope of reaching others experiencing the same quandaries.
White Elephant appears vaguely human yet fundamentally is not. As you stand at its elephantine bowling-shoe-adorned feet, the work begs you to reckon with your racial identity and mimics the confusion of this racial awakening through its periodic head spinning.
The sculpture’s central gesture, a 360-degree head spin, symbolizes a dual meaning. It encapsulates the confusion of confronting one’s racial identity and simultaneously draws parallels between the horror genre and racism through a reference to The Exorcist (1973). In the film, the disturbing gesture of a 360-degree head spin shocked audiences and served as a symbol for demonic possession.
“There’s a really interesting equation of racism to horror because it’s horrifying” Boyle remarks in White Elephant | A Documentary. This comparison is perfectly illustrated through White Elephant.
Boyle describes the horrifying, yet necessary, process of a racial awakening in white individuals. White Elephant beckons viewers to join her in the head spinning confrontation and ultimate breakdown of one’s complacency in system injustices.
Despite its gargantuan scale, the sculpture lacks strength, an element that Crystal Mowry, Director of Programs at the MacKenzie Art Gallery sees as central to the work’s meaning, “we’re supposed to see it as fragile and vulnerable and ultimately susceptible to some sort of change.”
In 2024, the AGH purchased White Elephant. The acquisition was funded through a grant from the Council of Canadian and American Relations made possible by the generous support of Howard Brull.
Tobi Bruce, Head of Exhibitions and Collections & Chief Curator at the AGH describes the acquisition as “magnificent.” She reflects, “The work manages to be accessible, wondrous, complex, unique, charged, and mysterious all at the same time. Every collection is organic; it grows and evolves alongside us socially, culturally and politically, reflecting who we are. And every so often a work comes along that speaks so eloquently and deeply to our moment in time and history that its acquisition transforms the holdings, makes things possible. This is White Elephant.”
Experience White Elephant at the AGH within Shary Boyle: How We Are, thanks to Howard Brull’s generosity, until May 10, 2026. Interested in discovering more about the process of bringing White Elephant to life? Watch White Elephant | A Documentary to hear from Boyle’s talented collaborators including Alexa Mackenzie, Heather Goodchild, and Colin Harry.
Featured Image Credit: Shary Boyle: How We Are, Art Gallery of Hamilton, 2026. Photo: Joseph Hartman.
