Phillip Pyle II
Spectrum Sammy, 2024
Vinyl

I find immense purpose in creating art that questions, challenges, and disrupts. My work is a means of dismantling oppressive narratives, shedding light on injustice, and provoking conversations that might otherwise go unspoken. Spectrum Sammy is meant to agitate, but not solely as an act of rebellion; it's an act of resilience and a catalyst for progress, serving as a call to action for a more inclusive and equitable future. 

– Phillip Pyle II

Phillip Pyle II is a visual artist, graphic designer, and photographer whose work engages with issues of race and popular culture through the visual lens of graphic design. Informed by symbols drawn from commercial advertising, sports culture, the hip-hop industry, and archival images, Pyle questions inherited perceptions and traditional values through color and form. Often reflecting an irreverent sense of humor, Pyle’s work invites viewers to imagine and work towards a more just and peaceful future. 

Spectrum Sammy takes as its starting point the symbol of a raised fist, made popular in 1968 by Olympic medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised the salute during the Mexico City Olympics as a symbol of freedom and human rights. Associated with anti-fascist and anti-racist movements throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the raised fist is reproduced by Pyle in a spectrum of colors, indicating its relationship to people of all backgrounds. Pyle’s addition of an owl resting on the fist acknowledges the work’s placement at Rice University, whose mascot is an owl nicknamed Sammy. 

About the Artist
Phillip Pyle II (b. 1980, Houston, TX) received an MFA in photography and digital media from the University of Houston and a BFA in graphic design from the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. His work has been exhibited at numerous local institutions, including the Blaffer Art Museum, Contemporary Art Museum Houston, Project Row Houses, Houston Museum of African American Culture, DiverseWorks, Lawndale Art Center, and Art League Houston, among others. Pyle lives and works in Houston.