Hannah Black's 'Small Room' at Mumok Vienna Explores Life, Death, and Social Constraint
Hannah Black's exhibition titled 'Small Room' is on view at Mumok in Vienna from March 17 to June 18, 2017. This showcase examines the limits of existence through biological, social, and ideological perspectives. It includes a three-channel video work, 'Beginning, End, None' (2017), which contrasts cellular visuals with images of entrapment. Suspended from the ceiling are four latex sculptures symbolizing biological membranes. Additionally, a collaborative science-fiction novel, 'Life', co-authored with Juliana Huxtable, features characters who are risk analysts resurrected from death. Black engages with issues of racial and gender identity, alienation, and power dynamics, having previously gained attention for her open letter opposing Dana Schutz's 'Open Casket' (2016). The exhibition intertwines personal narratives with broader structural critiques through a mix of visual and auditory elements.
Key facts
- Hannah Black's exhibition 'Small Room' was on view at Mumok in Vienna from March 17 to June 18, 2017.
- The show features a three-channel video titled 'Beginning, End, None' (2017) that explores life and death through cellular and institutional imagery.
- Four sculptures made of creamy-colored latex hang from the ceiling, abstractly representing biological membranes with black yarn.
- A collaborative novel 'Life', co-written with Juliana Huxtable, is chained to a wall in the exhibition.
- Black is a British-born, Berlin-based artist known for addressing racial and gender identity themes.
- She gained notoriety for an open letter calling for the destruction of Dana Schutz's painting 'Open Casket' (2016) at the Whitney Biennial.
- The letter sparked social media discussion and was covered by The New York Times.
- Black's work examines constrictions of biology, societies, and ideology through personal and universal lenses.
Entities
Artists
- Hannah Black
- Dana Schutz
- Juliana Huxtable
- Emmett Till
Institutions
- Mumok
- Whitney Biennial
- The New York Times
- ArtReview
- Wikipedia
Locations
- Vienna
- Austria
- Berlin
- Germany
- New York
- United States