Exhibition Info
ON VIEW: Nov 29, 2018– Jan 20, 2019
OPENING RECEPTION: Wed, Nov 28, 2018 | 7-9PM
CURATED BY: Jenny Gerow
Using reflective colored tape, Johannah Herr’s monumental text-based murals simultaneously create a dazzling surface of metallic and glitter elements that seduces viewers into engaging in the polarizing discussions of these urgent issues, from women’s rights to climate justice and the value of Black lives. The embedded text—“YOUR COMFORT IS ATTENDED BY PERMANENT VIOLENCE”—wraps across the doorway break in the wall, reading “YOUR COMFORT IS / PERMANENT” on one side and “ATTENDED BY / VIOLENCE” on the other.One can only adequately read the piece in entirety by positioning oneself obliquely at either end of the hallway. In this position the two phrases, seemingly separate when facing each wall directly, come together to form one sentence. Herr sees the oblique angle as metaphor for the perspective of the marginalized (whether that be the female, queer, racial minority, people with disabilities etc.). When one views from the vantage point of the dominant group, it is often impossible to see the larger scope of how one’s privilege is built on the marginalization of others. However, from the marginalized vantage point, this relationship is abundantly clear.
BIO:
Johannah Herrhas had solo exhibitions at the New Gallery, Brooklyn; Chashama and Envoy Enterprises, both NY; the Muller Gallery, Detroit, MI; the Muted Horn, Cleveland, OH; and Galeri Metropol, Tallinn, Estonia. Her work has been shown in exhibitions including those at Elijah Wheat Showroom and Schema Projects, both Brooklyn; Sheila Johnson Gallery, NY; Platform Gallery, Seattle, WA; the Centro per L’Arte Contemporanea, Trebisonda, Italy; and the Water Tower Arts Festival, Sofia, Bulgaria. Herr attended Parsons School of Design and the Cranbrook Academy of Art.