2026 ILLUMINATIONS GRANT FINALIST

Zerina “Z” Tye

ms. z tye (b. Lakeland, FL) is a Brooklyn based artist who is committed to the study of ephemerality and ritual reclamation. Summoning her work through what she calls “Glossolalia”, tye’s practice transcends the present realm, engaging with the known, the unknown, and the longed-for. Her most recent exploration of Glossolalia, which translates to 'speaking in tongues', culminated in a performance at the Whitney Museum, where she used water to find physical utterance. tye’s use of water has been a through line dating back to 2021, in her work Trans Baptism, which reclaimed water purification in the Pentecostal denomination. Fluctuating between interdisciplinary forms, her first solo installation, Counter, researched fortified patience in identity evolution. Other works have been presented with MOMA, The Shed, and Bronx Museum among others.