Karla Black's Diaphanous Cellophane Installation at Modern Art Gallery in London

From October 13 to November 7, 2014, Glasgow-based artist Karla Black presented a site-specific installation at Modern Art gallery in London. The exhibition featured delicate, room-width curtains made from cellophane, faintly colored with paint and nail varnish, which swayed with viewer movement. Titled works like The Body Presumes (2014) hung from sellotape straps, creating an aural dimension as they brushed the floor. Beyond these translucent barriers, additional pieces included chalked sugar paper forms and suspended brown wrapping paper structures. Black employs raw materials such as plaster powder, makeup, and gels in her practice, prioritizing aesthetic perfection over decay. She requires collectors to provide annual photographs to verify the preservation of her works. The artist rejects gendered interpretations of her fragile, pale palette, citing Richard Tuttle as a closer parallel than Phyllida Barlow. Black's approach blends painting, sculpture, and theatrical illusion while resisting clear categorization.