Contact Traces at Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art
May 9 - June 6 2021 at the Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art
Featuring works by Derya Akay, Lenka Clayton, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Ilana Harris-Babou, and Jenny Kendler
Download the catalog, which includes an interview with Kendler, here.
The artists in Contact Traces question assumptions of care as an act of benevolence.Their works suggest that individuals can disrupt the systems that do not recognize the value or labor of uncompensated care by spotlighting the process of caregiving and its messy aftermath. As we work toward a post-pandemic world, Contact Traces cries out against a “return to normal,” suggesting that a society in which care is fully recognized could be more just and sustainable.
The exhibition was co-curated, with a great deal of care, by Leandra Burnett, Katherine Jemima Hamilton, Shaelyn Hanes, Emily Markert, and Youyou Ma.
Images credit: Wyatt Hall, Impart Photography.