Belin / Drew / Walker

Brent Sikkema will present three concurrent exhibitions of work by Valerie Belin, Leonardo Drew, and Kara Walker.

The Paris-based photographer Valerie Belin is known for her ability to capture her subjects - whether animate or inanimate - in their object-hood. Working only in black and white photography, the artist often isolates her subjects from their contextual surroundings, accentuating their abstract material qualities through the play of light and shadow. In this exhibition of new work, the artist will explore the physicality of vintage theatrical masks, international Michael Jackson impersonators, and European snack chip bags.

In Leonardo Drew's first exhibition at Brent Sikkema, he will present four new works. Drew is known for his dynamic large-scale sculptural installations, which incorporate found and organic materials such as cotton, children's toys, cast paper and mud. On the one hand, Drew's sculptures can be seen as exercises in formalism rooted in the very experience of looking. On the other hand, these works explore memory through materiality, employing the detritus of the rural south and the urban north to evoke common elements of human experience within our diverse histories.

Kara Walker will present Testimony, the artist's first video work that was recently exhibited at the SITE Santa Fe Fifth Annual Biennial. In a narrative centered on a revolt by white slaves against their black overseers, Walker employs paper silhouette figures in stop-start animation reminiscent of puppet shows and shadow plays of the 19th century. At times, we catch a glimpse of Walker's hand as she moves the figures, or her silhouette in the background, emphasizing the 'home-made', physical quality of the piece. This silent, black and white film continues Walker's interest in themes present in her cut-paper work, including issues of sexuality, power and brutality within the institution of slavery, and their resonance in contemporary society.

Pressetext

Valerie Belin PHOTOGRAPHS

Leonardo Drew NUMBER 94, NUMBER 95 & NUMBER 96

Kara Walker TESTIMONY