Sondra Perry: A Terrible Thing

4 okt 20195 Jan 2020

For her exhibition at Kunsthal Aarhus, A Terrible Thing, Sondra Perry (1986, USA) presents a new body of video and installation-based work. A Terrible Thing offers new ways of experiencing the often-invisible yet ever-present architecture, labour, and infrastructure within museums, and in this case Kunsthal Aarhus itself.

A Terrible Thing stems in part from Perry’s research into the history of blacksmithing as a form of highly skilled labor that, like other trades, creates the building blocks of infrastructure and architecture. Her interest in blacksmithing extends to the nature of the chemical reaction that occurs when human skin touches metal; a small layer of skin dies when contact is made, and a particular odor is released into the air. This transformation mirrors her interest in exploring the interplay between how people make spaces, and how spaces and materials shape people.

Sondra Perry often creates site-specific works and installations. She constructs narratives that investigate blackness throughout history, frequently taking point of departure in her personal life. In her works, which includes elements such as blue screen technology, 3D avators and found footage sourced from the internet, she reflects on the various modes of representation of black identity in both culture, art and media. Perry is interested in net neutrality and ideas of collective production of anything from materials to new ideas which in turn can cause collective action. She aims to democratise the access to culture and art, thus offering a new platform that varies from the current portrayal of blackness in the mass media.

A Terrible Thing is organised by Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa) (US), where the show was exhibited in the Spring and Summer of 2019. A Terrible Thing at Kunsthal Aarhus marks the first solo exhibition of Sondra Perry in Denmark.

Source: Kunsthal Aarhus