Jun 23rd 2017

Of Memories and Forgetfulness

@ Chicago Artists Coalition

217 N Carpenter St., Chicago, IL 60607

Opening Friday, June 23rd, from 6PM - 9PM

On view through Thursday, July 13th

The Chicago Artists Coalition is pleased to present “Of Memories and Forgetfulness”, a HATCH Projects exhibition featuring artists Caroline Liu, Pooja Pittie, and Brittney Leanne Williams.

The ability to remember and forget performs an important role in our lives and is linked to the questions we ask ourselves. According to postcolonial theorist, Françoise Verges, “the mechanism of forgetfulness has ramifications far beyond the importance it has played in psychoanalysis.” She goes on to quote Sigmund Freud in noting that “forgetfulness is not left to psychic arbitrariness, but that it follows lawful and rational paths.” Memory, on the other hand, remains in constant flux, susceptible to the analysis of remembering and forgetting, unaware of its successive distortions, vulnerable to manipulation, predisposed to being long dormant and periodically revived. Remembering and forgetting almost always occur in tandem.

In “Of Memories and Forgetfulness,” the artists’ reclamation of memory, evident in their work, functions as a counter-hegemonic act asserting their agency and subjectivity. Through explorations of identity and personal narrative these artists use memory as a tool of recognition. Utilizing the almost ritualistic form of recalling, this act of remembering solidifies and grounds each artists firmly in the present. Brittney Leanne Williams’ work explores remembered narratives of race, invisibility, and state-sponsored violence. Pooja Pittie’s abstract paintings recall her ability to move freely while confronting her progressive muscle disability. Caroline Liu’s work tackles her short-term memory loss while grappling with feelings of vulnerability.

“Of Memories and Forgetfulness” is curated by Sheridan Tucker.

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