Kate Cooper's 'Infection Drivers' Explores Skin as Boundary at Palais de Tokyo

Kate Cooper's 2018 video 'Infection Drivers' is featured in the group exhibition 'Anticorps' at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, which was scheduled to run until January 3, 2021. The exhibition, curated by Camille Paulhan and reviewed in Artpress's December 2020–January 2021 issue, invites viewers to reconsider the hermeticism of bodies. Cooper's work, lasting 7 minutes and 19 seconds, depicts a young woman in a translucent suit that inflates and deflates like a second skin, evoking bodybuilding and cosmetic surgery. The digital avatar, meticulously choreographed by the artist, moves aimlessly in a boundless space. The latex-like membrane suggests infection and loss of control, while the synthetic soundscape adds viscosity. Produced in collaboration with Theo Cook and with a soundtrack by Bonaventure, the piece predates the COVID-19 pandemic but resonates with contemporary experiences of constraint and protection. The work exemplifies Cooper's use of hyperrealism and popular culture aesthetics from branding and video games. The exhibition includes works by about twenty artists.