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Social Hierarchy (2023)
Medium
Altered textbook, ink, watercolor, mixed media on table
Social Hierarchy is a mixed media intervention into a discarded textbook, transforming a tool of standardized education into a critique of its hidden systems. Centered on a drawn figure wearing a crown labeled "social hierarchy" and seated in a throne of dominance, the work superimposes a figure of power directly atop institutional language. This literal overlay of image onto printed text highlights the way hierarchy and bias are embedded—often invisibly—within educational narratives.
By drawing directly on the textbook page, Krystal challenges the neutrality of knowledge and exposes how systems of oppression are naturalized through curriculum. Locker-lined hallways suggest a familiar school setting, but the perspective narrows to a vanishing point, drawing the viewer into a structure that feels both architectural and ideological. Words like Dominance, Predator, and Adult are left legible, calling attention to how language reinforces power structures.
Paired with a sterile white table and a single mug, the installation feels eerily vacant yet saturated with critique. This piece forms part of Krystal’s broader Pedagogy series, which explores the failures and constructs of Western education through deconstruction and transformation of classroom objects.
