Pepa Chan: Brush
Sometimes the smallest things can awaken a memory which refuses to be forgotten. During her residency at The Rooms, Pepa Chan produced a series of objects and images confronting a particularly traumatic period of her life that is remembered through the act of getting her hair brushed. Submitting herself to discomfort is nothing new for this artist. She has frequently lived outside her comfort zones to learn about herself and see the world in new and unexpected ways. In this exhibition, Chan works through discomfort to turn traumatic memories into feelings of caring tenderness, and to turn vulnerability into trust.
Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to have their hair brushed by the artist using a sanitized hair brush. Hair that remains in the brush will be used by the artist in an ongoing series of monoprints that will be displayed over the course of the exhibition. From January 30 until March 9, you can visit Pepa Chan on Wednesdays 5:00 – 8:00 pm, Saturdays 12:00 – 3:00 pm, or by chance throughout the week to talk to the artist and get your own hair brushed.
More about the artist:
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pepa Chan is an interdisciplinary artist, art educator, and musician based in St. John’s, NL. Her art practice includes site-specific installation, sculpture, printmaking, performance, and video to generate difficult questions about society, gender and violence. Chan’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at venues including the rOGUE Gallery and HOLD FAST Contemporary Art Festival (both St. John’s, NL), as well as Berlin’s Porn Film Festival. She has independently curated and exhibited work at unconventional sites and public spaces, and has a special interest in collaborative practices and socially engaged art.
Image: Pepa Chan. Brush. (2018). Video still. Courtesy of the artist.
