Aria Dean's Abattoir, U.S.A.! at The Renaissance Society explores slaughterhouse architecture and Black subjectivity

At The Renaissance Society in Chicago, Aria Dean showcases her film Abattoir, U.S.A.!, produced using 3D animation tools. Visitors enter a rectangular viewing space, defined by six-foot-high walls and accessed via swinging doors. The floor features rubber tiles adorned with a button pattern, releasing a potent aroma, while an eight-channel audio system enhances the environment. Through her work in sculpture, video, and installation, Dean explores themes of Blackness. The film offers a first-person perspective set against industrial structures reminiscent of slaughterhouses, interspersed with abstract black-and-yellow visuals and depictions of a bloody floor. Influenced by Georges Bataille and Frank B. Wilderson, the exhibition is open until April 16.