A Thesis Exhibition by MFA Fine Arts candidate Vita Kari
Exhibition Dates: March 22nd - March 29th, 2024
Taking its cues from early reality dating shows, BILLBOARD PRENUP: A BYTE OF LOVE grapples with the blurring of digital and physical boundaries. Kari (they/them) explores their lived experience of becoming a cultural virus, otherwise known as a meme, throughout the gallery and during a performance piece where the artist marries their digital and physical selves.
Through installation, video and sculptural works, Kari invites guests to transition between their domestic, private and public bodies as they enter the space.
Their work about public domain is interrupted by the hyperpersonal, as Kari adorns several objects with designs reminiscent of their grandmother's clothing. Reimaging and recreating their grandmother’s rugs, Kari elicits narratives of diaspora, family and memory through their hyper feminine queer lens.
Leveraging both conventional and cutting-edge technologies, the exhibition seeks to disrupt and reflect upon the nature of self-presentation and identity in a digitally interconnected world.