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SHIN was made by Deborah Butterfield as a gesture of gratitude and farewell to a mentor. Inspired by the ancient Chinese Tang horses that were believed to accompany the dead into the next world, Butterfield envisioned the horse as carrying a spiritual load for its recipient on his journey.
Handmade by Butterfield, SHIN is constructed from sticks, found metal components, and mud—including paper pulp, dextrine, grass, and iris leaves—built around a strong, welded steel armature. The interplay of fragile organic materials and durable metal gives the sculpture both an elemental and enduring presence. Like Butterfield’s early horses, SHIN evokes a creature emerging from the earth, its quiet, dreamlike form suggesting both physical and spiritual passage.