There Suck I

Sarah Whicker

Rez Gauche is excited to unveil "There Suck I," a new exhibition by artist Sarah B. Whicker. This collection explores corporal realities, like childbirth, breastfeeding, and mortality.

Whicker's work challenges our understanding of figuration, using a diverse range of materials such as ceramic, performance, and even placental blood. Equal parts revulsion and fascination drive the work toward the brink of revelation and collapse.

Central to the exhibition is the motif of breastfeeding, with Whicker transforming her bodily experience into haunting etched landscapes populated by grotesque figures both sacred and profane. This approach of mapping the post-natal body into two dimensions creates a record of the temporal link between two dependent bodies. It preserves the intimacy and extreme tenderness, dancing on a knife's edge of pain and pleasure.

In a series of 8 intaglio prints the artist has recorded her embodied impressions of breastfeeding her child at 4 months. The process was begun by closing the eyes and imagining the body on a two dimensional plane. Where are the dark and light spots in the body? What is the shape, the texture, the line? This sketch is then transformed into a mythological landscape reminiscent of Rembrandt. Over-top of these landscapes are imagined scenes rendered in pen and ink, depicting various gargoyles, clowns and gnomes. These scenes of violence and tenderness function as an act of exorcism for the artist's fears. They also act as a talisman for protection against evil or harm.

Sarah B Whicker is an American artist living and working in Brussels. There Suck I is her first solo show. She has exhibited in New York Horse House, Cabinet, Printed Matter and Brussels Cunst Link, ACA. Her illustrations can be seen in Wonderblood, 2018 Julia Whicker. St Martin's press

The show also features performances that reenact memories with handmade masks, adding a unique dimension to the experience. Performances by Chiara Monteverde, Sophie Melis, Ally Lloyd and more.

Data

Join us from October 26, 2023 (7pm - 9pm Opening) until November 2, 2023 (7pm - 9pm Closing) or by appointment at Rez Gauche 154 Rue Theodore Verheagen to witness "There Suck I" by Sarah B. Whicker.

For appointment inquiries: mail@rezgauche.be or +32496061738