The Poison of the Lying Tongues

Bessie Harvey’s The Poison of the Lying Tongues, a grotesque distorted head created from found wood, gives form to the Biblical passage “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). The imagery also recalls another Biblical verse, “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit; the venom of vipers is upon their lips” (Romans 3:13). Harvey described her message thusly: “Before you use it [your tongue] to say things that will hurt yourself or someone else, remember that love covers a multitude of faults, and it’s a fault to go around hurting others.” —Timothy Anglin Burgard