Kat Ryals
Coronation, 2020
Inkjet Prints on Vinyl, PVC, Metallic Papers installed in Windows
3 window panels: 25 x 70 inches each
Courtesy of the artist
Location: Bushwick Ave + Halsey Street, Brooklyn, NY 11207
The following prints are available for sale:
Icon II, 2015
archival pigment inkjet print, edition of 10
11 x 14 inches, 16 x 20 inches frame
$500
(20% of proceeds go to Educated Little Monsters)
Sanctuary, 2015
3D Lenticular Print
30 x 30 inches unframed
$2600
(20% of proceeds go to Educated Little Monsters)
Artist’s description:
Coronation felt like an apt title for my latest site-specific work installed in the windows of my apartment, the place I have spent the most of my time this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a play on words – referencing both the ushering in of new state and the current state of contemporary times (Corona nation). The content of the work runs along themes of my overall practice, looking at the sacred & the secular, hierarchy & value systems, and the power of special effects - notions that now seem more relevant than ever.
These faux stained-glass windows, created using materials such as PVC, tinsel fabric, vinyl, and tape, are influenced by research surrounding Victorian era cemeteries and the gothic chapels that accompany them. Also imbued within this new installation is the obvious reference to saints and biblical figures depicted often in this manner, but also the major Arcana of the Tarot, another area of my recent research. While also a source of spiritual connectivity, tarot and playing cards are essentially a form of entertainment. What fascinates me is that from this leisure activity can come such deep and evolving symbolism and iconography, moving through the full circle of life and its mysteries in cards 0-22.
Notions of heaven, the afterlife, and life cycles are deep on our minds, and the installation Coronation may provide a familiar moment of solace as viewers pass the chapel-like installation during these uncertain times. However, though the referenced iconography is well-known in our culture, upon further investigation these grotesque masked figures and glaring neon colors reveal themself to be foreign and disconcerting. This process of deterioration of what is familiar, of our understanding, of our worldview, activates an unconscious fear of death according to Terror Management Theory. This is something that we have all collectively been experiencing through the pandemic and recent social unrest, heightened by the upcoming election, a time when worldviews and ideologies are more often threatened by others. Coronation stands as an inauguration of a new era - one of change and disruption - as we look toward a future of healing and rebuilding."
katryals.com
Inquiries: eileen@neumeraki.com
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