Fiction opens the door to a parallel universe, allowing us to view reality with a fresh eye. Straddling the two worlds is a zone of friction that resists our sense of normalcy and rubs against our perception of the everyday world. Friction between two opposing forces can be abrasive, increase tension, and lead to conflict; however, the artists in Fictions and Frictions bring together reality and fiction without assuming antagonism and mutual exclusivity. In the featured artworks, seemingly incompatible beings, positions, emotions, identities, and political systems come into contact with each other through the device of fiction. The tension in this zone of friction wedges itself between our binary constructions of us/them, positive/negative, here/there, and now/then—imagined axes we rely upon to locate ourselves in the world—and changes the fabric of reality.

Featuring a performance by Mitch Oliver and Kaitlin Fox from 3-3:45pm in the CRL Gallery, with a gallery conversation to follow on Friday, March 8. Gallery Hours: Friday, 9am-5pm & Saturday, 10am-4pm

 

This exhibition is curated by Hayan Kim, in conjunction with the eponymous conference (March 1-2, 2019).