"Now that I’m by myself," she says, "I'm not by myself, which is good" is the title to the upcoming exhibition that I curated, and it is a mouthful. Let’s start with some background. I pulled the title from an article in Fader magazine I read about Santi White or Santigold as she is known now. In the article she talks about the transition of going out on her own and performing solo instead of with her band. It jumped out at me as the perfect title to explain so many things, both personally for me, and this universal feeling of aloneness and not-aloneness that we are swinging in and out of constantly. I have always been drawn to phrases that you can pull apart the layers of meaning inside of them, and when taken out of context can become a signifier for a whole range of emotions.
In thinking about artists I wanted to include I went through a whole range of ideas and mediums. As I was filling the space in my head with potential works I realized it was becoming jumbled and was losing the sense of urgency and layers that the title had. Finally I settled on a smaller number of artists, four to be exact, and decided to have each artist show a number of works in the space. I was also struggling with the layout of the show. I wanted there to be a large sculptural element something specific and ambiguous at the same time. Then I realized maybe it could be just a platform or a stage that would serve as a viewing area and a central vantage point for the exhibit. I also realized the videos themselves would act as sculptural elements in the space. I never really thought about the show as medium specific, although it is primarily a video show with a conceptual connection between the works. I like to think of the artists in the show as placing table settings for a dinner party, and how each individual or rather each work will be talking to the work next to it or the one across the room.
Lately curating has felt a little like herding cats, or organizing a giant wedding party, but we are in the last week of installation and the most exciting part is when the space comes alive after each work has been placed and they get to talk to each other in the space. I get goose bumps on my arm thinking about it because the show itself has been inside my head for so long and finally it will all come out this Friday night, so come see for yourself!
-Rachel Cook
Curator of "Now that I’m by myself," she says, "I'm not by myself, which is good"
"Now that I’m by myself," she says, "I'm not by myself, which is good"
September 11-October 24, 2009
Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, Noon to 6pm.
Free Admission
DiverseWorks
1117 East Freeway
Houston, TX 77002
713.223.8346
www.diverseworks.org
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