Rachel Rose on Her Shut Paris Show and the Pandemic

Rachel Rose's exhibition at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris, inaugurated just before France's COVID-19 lockdown, was forced to close and will be dismantled before its scheduled end on May 10, 2020. The 34-year-old video artist, who holds degrees from Yale University and the Courtauld Institute, discusses her work and the pandemic context. The show, a new iteration of a presentation at Fridericianum in Kassel, features sculptures from her Born series (2019) made during her pregnancy, using stone and blown glass in shard and egg forms, alongside videos like Everything and More (2015) and Wil-o-Wisp (2018). Rose's work explores themes of creation, bodily limits, ecological degradation, and the historical roots of capitalism, such as the English enclosure movement. She notes that the pandemic has shifted her perspective: she created her works in a 'luxurious' time of anxiety about impending catastrophe, but now the crisis is here. She believes art should be clear and accessible, serving as a shared story for collective peace. The interview was conducted by Nikita Dmitriev in April 2020.