IK: One thing that keeps coming up when I am interviewing your cohort is this idea of how some of the most central concerns surrounding your artmaking not necessarily being evident, visually, in the work.
RD: Yeah, I try to negotiate this by making my paintings somewhat interactive. I want them to be more than just visual experiences; they should be an invitation to understand and support structures metaphorically. The paintings and the viewers are both part of this structure.
Bodies are central to Rachel Dorsey’s work. She depicts them in ways that resonate with shared human experiences. Internal Maintenance (first go), 2024 illustrates a woman curled into herself, reading instructions for a vaginal moisturizer often prescribed for patients going through menopause. Rachel wants to draw attention to the fact that despite the many evocative associations that arise when depicting bodies with vaginas as sexual. The artist wants to dedicate time to creating works that shed light on the mundane, maintenance-related parts of having this organ.
RD: Even a child can look at a picture of people and connect with it, and that level of connection is special. It's always gratifying to see people engage with and talk about my art.
IK: Does achieving that take a lot of experimentation? In terms of material or methods of making?
RD: Sometimes, my hands move faster than my head, leading to spontaneous creations. I cycle through different methods of making, often using sketchbooks to think through ideas intimately. I strive to break away from traditional forms like rectangles and walls. For instance, someone in the CMA building taught me how to coil build, and I use monotypes as generative processes.
Gather/come as u are (2024) includes a wooden bench for viewers to sit on and a large canvas featuring a luminous charcoal drawing of a cauldron. This piece is the first to be featured in the show, setting the tone for the emergence of other works.
RD: There are so many funny resonances between the pieces.
IK: What do you mean by "funny resonance"? Can you elaborate on that?
RD: It kind of refers to the unexpected echoes and reflections in our routines and bodies. In many ways, it aligns perfectly with my current work, where I'm exploring the body as a framing device and striving for a more organic structure, often focusing on orificial forms. So the connections that I see between the show’s theme and my work.
IK: Do these resonances occur in relation to other works in the show?
RD: Totally. Michael Hong's work and mine share repeated forms, creating a dialogue between our pieces. These forms can be literal body orifices, windows, or portals, offering new perspectives. It’s exciting because I never initially thought of our works as connected, but they form a bridge between painting and sculpture.
IK: Your work seems to have a 'stylistically' wider range than the others, did that occur on purpose?
RD: My work spans a variety of styles and acts as a connective tissue between different mediums and ideas. While the connections may not be immediately evident to others, they reflect my personal experiences with chronic illness. The lessons I've learned through dealing with chronic illness, care, and interdependence influence my art deeply. It’s not about justice work per se, but rather about contemplating notions surrounding self-absorption. Ultimately I also think about the need we have for each other a lot.
This concept of care establishes the tone for the show by emphasizing the collaborative effort and personal connections involved in bringing Rachel's work to the 5th floor, fostering a sense of community and shared experience. During the installation at RailSpur, the elevator was out of order, and the show was situated on the 5th floor. When the artists informed me about this in advance, my immediate concern was, "How will you manage to transport Rachel's works up there?". I have witnessed Rachel's use of benches in previous works, and it was touching to see fellow graduates and friends lending a helping hand to carry the piece up.
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