we exist within these frames
counter clock wise, clockwise
doubling back into ourselves
folding creatures, crescent moons
of smiles tucked in between the
voids of night
admitting our breaths into
certain spaces where we tell
one another everything
collapse into the soil
dream sleep with the earthworms
wake to count each rib in our chests
just to be sure we remember
how we were made.
___________
Exoskeletons, 2010
KR Hanrahan
KR Hanrahan’s Exoskeletons is an experiential environment, combining a fabric “womb,” figurative painting, and found-object-based sculpture. With this exhibition, the artist explores themes of life and death, and the power of nature.
The collages and figurative paintings in the exhibition pair powerful, yet wistful female forms with feline and avian imagery. The near-translucent application of paint and charcoal in Hanrahan’s Mardi Gras Princess portrait, results in a ghostly form—linking powerful cultural symbolism with the spirits of New Orleans’ past. Based on a contemporary Mardi Gras Princess, the portrait speaks to the inherent strength of the Mardi Gras Indian—a figure that bears the weight of ancestral slavery with solemn resolve.
On the northeast wall of the gallery, a mixed-media sculpture features a pair of legs emerging from worn leather boots. The legs, constructed from packing tape, appear to have been sloughed off, as if the traveler simply grew out of her skin. This ghostly combination is both eerie and comforting, perhaps referencing the growth of the traveler as she passes from place to place, leaving the detritus of her body behind.
Hanrahan’s use of reclaimed material ties directly to the theme of decay. By repurposing these materials, the artist references the cyclic nature of life, emphasizing both the deathly waste we create, and the life that emerges from these ruins.
Ultimately, Exoskeletons is alternately vapid and corporeal, seemingly bridging the gap between reality and dreamscape.
Exoskeletons is on view through July 11, 2010. The exhibition is open to the public on June 12 and July 10 from 6-10pm, and by appointment. To schedule an appointment email nolatrouserhouse@gmail.com.
