Rachel Mason “Starseeds”
Envoy Enterprises (87 Rivington St.)
This event has ended.
envoy enterprises presents Starseeds, the first solo exhibition by Rachel Mason at the gallery. The exhibition comprises a new series of sculptures and a video installation in the project room.
I am a Starseed.
Starseeds are people from another planet who come to earth specifically to fulfill a mission. They often feel isolated as though they don’t quite fit into human society.
I spent the better part of the years 2004 to 2011 studying the faces of world leaders who were involved in wars during my lifetime. Sculpting porcelain busts and writing songs in their imagined minds was an exercise I undertook in order to grasp the massive numbers of people killed in conflicts during my life. I wanted to understand how a small number of people could affect massive numbers of people so I had to stare them in the face. I had to get inside their minds. I wanted to understand how I am connected to these individuals because I believe that I am.
Finally I was done. I just could not sculpt another world leader. And on a whim I sculpted the head of Joni Mitchell, the iconic songwriter. Realizing I had been ignoring a huge piece of the world I live in by focusing only on one type of person, a type of person who felt like the opposite to me I realized how desperately I wanted to stare into the faces of those people with whom I could identify. People of my species. I started sculpting people with whom I felt a total kinship. I used only the subliminal logic of my fingertips to guide my choices of humans and the results are in this exhibition.
This is my universe and I welcome you to enter it. I am joined by Beyoncé, Eva Hesse, Nico, Ana Mendieta, Joan Jett, Madonna, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Louise Bourgeois, Joan Jonas, Alice Neel, Maya Deren, Etta James, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, Nina Simone, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Frida Kahlo, Amy Sedaris, Marina Abramović, Yoko Ono, Tracy Chapman, Laurie Anderson, Nina Hagen, Shannon Funchess, Yayoi Kusama, Yva Las Vegas, Missy Elliot, Bjork, and M.I.A.
Rachel Mason (1978. Lives and works in NY) is a sculptor, songwriter and performer. Mason has written and recorded 10 albums of songs, produced and directed experimental operas, created countless performances and a feature length musical film, The Lives of Hamilton Fish. She was a 2013 resident of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (NY). Her work has been exhibited and she has performed at the Whitney Museum, Queens Museum, School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Henry Gallery in Seattle, James Gallery at CUNY, University Art Museum in Buffalo, Sculpture Center, Hessel Museum of Art at Bard and Occidental College, Kunsthalle Zurich, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, The New Museum, Park Avenue Armory, Art in General, La Mama, Galapagos, Dixon Place, and Empac Center for Performance in Troy among other venues. Reviews include New York Times, Village Voice, Los Angeles Times, Flash Art, Art in America, Art News, and Artforum.
Media
Schedule
from February 23, 2014 to March 30, 2014
Opening Reception on 2014-02-23 from 16:00 to 18:00