LandEscape Art Review | Page 195

Reagan Lake

LandE scape

CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW meaning in relation to culture and history and power . I don ’ t relinquish meaning to the viewer . I make work that has a very speciHic meaning to me . But I don ’ t have any attachment to whether or not the viewer sees that particular meaning . I am interested in viewers Hinding their own story in my work . I learn a great deal from that .
Over these years your works have been showcased inseveral occasions , including your recent exhibition The Black Woman is God , at SOMArts , San Francisco . One of the hallmarks of your work is the capability to create direct involvement with the viewers , who are urged to evolve from a condition of mere spectatorship . So before leaving this conversation we would like to pose a question about the nature of the relationship of your art with your audience . Do you consider the issue of audience reception as being a crucial component of your decision-making process , in terms of what type of language is used in a particular context ?
The Black Woman is God was an incredible show to be a part of . That was the Hirst time that I submitted an idea speciHically for the exhibit and then made the work once it was accepted . So yes , I was using a visual language that was very speciHic for the context of the show and also a broader dialogue of empowerment and social justice that I felt the show was connected to . That discourse had threads reaching into the African diaspora , Black Lives Matter , Feminism , and Social Justice just to name a few . The opening happened 4 days after another police shooting involving an unarmed African American . My pieces were one of many voices that came together and created a space for healing . We had 2000 people of all kinds of identities come to our opening . It was particularly satisfying to see some of my art history students there . I love the idea that my work has the capacity to create a direct involvement for the viewers but it I don ’ t think about audience reception in a deliberate way when I am making work other than making work with an openness that hope invites the viewer to engage . I think my interest in identity formation and bringing marginalized perspectives into the center are what invite that involvement . I can see myself being inspired to make work as a result of a curatorial prompt , but I also have my own ideas about work that I want to make or have made and look for opportunities for it be seen .
Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts , Cynthia . Finally , would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects ? How do you see your work evolving ?
Thank you for these thought provoking and compelling questions about my work . It has been a real pleasure . I have started working on a new body of work that will be a series called Between Borders . The work will be created with indigo dye , mineral pigments and graphite on paper and silk . I am going juxtapose a variety of borders that range from countries and cities related to my ancestry and upbringing to borders that I cross during my daily commute to and from work . There will be a subtle mapping element and some aesthetic pleasure in the form of a kind of Rorschach mark in between . I want to introduce the notion of Hydrarchy by including some larger seascapes between each border pairing .
An interview by Katherine Williams , curator and Josh Ryder , curator landescape @ europe . com
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