In Kameelah Janan Rasheed’s solo exhibition “Unsewn Time,” curated by Grace Deveney, letters and words are isolated, and punctuation marks are paired with incalculable calculations to form new sentences. Using her body as a writing instrument, Rasheed devises a new language that flows from the soul and a spiritual sense of knowing.
“Kameelah Janan Rasheed: Unsewn Time”
Through 1/8/24: Mon 11 AM-5 PM, Thu 11 AM-8 PM, Fri-Sun 11 AM-5 PM; Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan, artic.edu, adults $32 ($40 Fast Pass, $27 Illinois residents, $20 Chicago residents), seniors 65+, students, and teens 14-17 $26 ($34 Fast Pass, $21 Illinois residents, $14 Chicago residents), children and under 14 and Chicago teens 14-17 free
Spanning video installations, photography, print works, and abstract paintings, the works invite visitors to explore and untangle embodied routes for processing information. Through an uncommon algebra, Rasheed’s work prioritizes an inherent knowing that does not rely on coherent sentences and letters to be understood.
Credit: Jose Cotto © Kameelah Janan Rasheed
In the print series Surrender I and Surrender II, materials such as “humidity in a third-floor apartment in Oakdene, Johannesburg (elevation: 5617 feet) on December 31, 2022, fluctuating body weight, [and] skin oil” provide a glimpse into the physical and emotional atmosphere where Rasheed was situated. This thread of embodied knowing is established throughout the space with several installations that invite the visitor to use their body to join in conversation with Rasheed. Three small screens showing single-channel video works entitled Good Morning. Has Your Body Reached a Consensus?, She Gives Me Surprises, and 981 are positioned at varying heights on a black wall requiring the visitor to squint, stretch, and squat to engage. To the right of these works is a window into a small room with the photo installation 1984/2023. Peeking through this window and leaning into the work (both physically and mentally) reveals Rasheed’s method of documenting and storytelling.
“Unsewn Time” invites us to unravel and tear apart our current tools for communicating to slowly imagine another mode of learning.
The Art Institute of Chicago is hosting an artist talk with Kameelah Janan Rasheed and Grace Deveney on Saturday, December 9 from 2-3 PM, registration required. A reading list that influenced the exhibition can be found here.
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