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PULL IN CASE OF EMERGENCY II
Two-Person Solo Show w/ Mana Mehrabian
Invisible Sight
Saranac Art Projects
Spokane, WA
2019
A R T I S T S T A T E M E N T
When there is fire, we have been socialized to reach for the nearest extinguisher, to pull in case of emergency. However, when a crisis or difficulty is subtle, invisible, unable to be proven or seen, the ability to take action in an attempt to combat it also becomes seemingly more difficult. Personal crisis is often exacerbated by continually being held inside with no witnesses. Particularly when we enter the public realm, we are surrounded by individuals who are in crisis, or are ourselves in crisis without ever sharing or knowing. Of course there can be small signs or symptoms; a tear, a scream, a sigh. PULL IN CASE OF EMERGENCY II is seeking to begin the process of carving out a type of expression for the hidden or invisible emergencies that play out in our daily lives that go unnoticed.
In a cultural climate of perpetual emergencies, our daily lives, news headlines, textual/ phone exchanges, and social media feeds are filled with these crisis experiences and narratives. These crises can either be perpetuated by non-action or be interrogated by intervention. Certain devices have been mass manufactured and installed to promote a sense of safety and protocol in a moment of crisis. An extinguisher can put out a fire. An illuminated emergency phone is placed on a subway platform. PULL IN CASE OF EMERGENCY II is an exploration of ideas of hidden difficulty and crisis. The exhibition consists of a singular site-specific installation. By re-purposing a fire extinguisher, a device that aims to provide a sense of safety and protocol, the installation focuses on the representation of undisclosed danger and chaos.
Just as a smoke alarm alerts us to fire, PULL IN CASE OF EMERGENCY II is a siren for a crisis that cannot be seen or heard.
Note: PULL IN CASE OF EMERGENCY II is the culmination of an intensive curator/ artist process that occurred in 2017 over at DEEP SPACE with founder/ curator Satpreet Kahlon, for my first solo exhibition PULL IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.