An exhibition presented at Kings Artist-Run, Melbourne.
Curated by Jake Treacy
August 30th till September 21st 2019
This collaborative exhibition explores the spiritual trajectories of Nature and queer readings of literature between artist Ophelia Bakowski and curator Jake Treacy. IamOphelia presents two new video works by Bakowski meditating on queer ecologies through the esoteric movements of a river and their body. This endurance performance articulates transcendent attributes beyond binaries, demonstrating the inherent fluidity and inter-connectivity of Nature and identity. Listening closely to the songs of plants allows for a cosmic communion; echoing across the gallery space and beyond the walls into the imperceptible. Here an installation of light, blossoming fragrance, an otherworldly song, and a dress heavy with the residue of performance, allows for communication across time to make queer narratives present. Meanwhile, an environmental poem by Treacy that reflects ambient light and offers a queer translation of the original Shakespearean text (Ophelia), wraps around walls like a conduit or a spell, seeking to heal through non-binary liberation.
