Caroline Kent: Victoria/Veronica: The figment between us

Sep 13 – Oct 24, 2020

*To make a reservation, visit our online calendar or contact us via email at chicago@tigerstrikesasteroid.com

Tiger Strikes Asteroid Chicago is pleased to present Victoria/Veronica: The figment between us, a solo exhibition by Caroline Kent, curated by Esau McGhee.

Referencing her mother’s first two names, Kent’s “Victoria/Veronica” is the name for a fictional set of identical twin sisters, separated by time and distance, who communicate with one another through drawing, painting, and hand-made objects. This is the first iteration in an ongoing project that explores Victoria and Veronica’s intimate, telepathic correspondence. The twins’ communication is akin to an epistolary relationship, but in their exchanges, images take the place of the written word.

The result is a series of visual conversations that unfold in a site specific installation that incorporates Kent’s characteristic painterly materials and extends them beyond their usual frames directly onto the walls. In the center of the gallery is a table that references one seen by the twins in Mexican architect Luis Barragán’s house years before. Sculptures mounted on the walls allow for the private viewing of books-turned-paintings and plants that signal unknown frequencies. Here, the domestic space of the home becomes a proxy for the telepathic space in which the twins communicate. What develops is an unusual and shared twin language that can be read throughout the room.

Artist Bio:

Caroline Kent is a Chicago-based artist. She received a B.S. from Illinois State University (1998) and a M.F.A. from The University of Minnesota (2008). Kent has exhibited nationally at The Flag Art Foundation, NY; The Walker Art Center, MN; The DePaul Art Museum, Chicago; The California African American Museum, LA; The Suburban, Oak Park, IL; and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Kent has received grants from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, and The Jerome Foundation. In 2018, she was a Paint School fellow of the New York-based program, Shandaken Projects. Most recently, she was selected as a 2020 awardee of the Artadia Foundation Chicago. Kent’s work is in the collections of the Walker Art Center, MN and The Art Institute of Chicago. She is represented by Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles. For more information please visit: www.carolinekent.com and https://www.kohngallery.com/caroline_kent

Curator Bio:

Esau McGhee’s interdisciplinary artistic practice is a critique of image construction found in landscape. Utilizing photography, found objects, collage and sculpture the works physically embody conventional strategies of representation, class and race construction. This is McGhee’s third curatorial outing as a member of Tiger Strikes Asteroid Chicago. Previous efforts have showcased the works of Gary Noland and Allison Reimus. McGhee currently lives and works in the United States.

Scheduling and Contact Information

The exhibition will run Sunday, September 13 – Saturday, October 24. As part of the opening on September 13th, a video of the exhibition will be made publicly accessible on TSA’s website and it will remain available until the exhibition closes. For the duration of this exhibition, the gallery will be open to the public by appointment only on Saturdays from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM. We will do our best to accommodate requests beyond those hours. To schedule an appointment to visit the exhibition, please visit our online calendar (link is also listed below). Questions or requests to schedule appointments outside our normal hours can be sent to: chicago@tigerstrikesasteroid.com. 

The number of visitors per half hour slot will be limited to 2 people in order to allow for the recommended social distancing. Masks are required at all times in the building. Upon entering Mana Contemporary, please use the touchless temperature scanner, check in at the front desk, and fill out a brief form for contact tracing. Our gallery is located on the 4th floor via attendant-operated elevator or the stairs. Images and videos of the show will be available following the opening on September 13th. Please contact us for additional information or high resolution images at: chicago@tigerstrikesasteroid.com. Thank you for your patience with these procedures during these challenging times.

ONLINE RESERVATION CALENDAR:calendly.com/tiger-strikes-asteroid-chicago/exhibition-viewing-appointment

Gallery Layout