Sweaty Armpits: We All Live in Bodies
Sept. 14, 2024 - Oct. 19, 2024
Curated by: Lucy Puls Helia Pouyanfar
Description: The exhibition Sweaty Armpits explores anxiety through artists' work that—for various material or conceptual reasons—elicits awareness of bodily energy, alertness, and sensory vibrations. <br><br> Anxiety's visceral nature can amplify the powerful, sometimes overwhelming sensations and electrifying effects associated with being human—that we, as animals, reflexively respond to in our perpetually changing world. The works in this exhibition fundamentally connect with us from a place beyond language—a place of the body. While it's unknown whether these artists intentionally explored anxiety, we imagine that their thinking, working, and material processes led them into this territory. <br><br> The premise of Sweaty Armpits reminds us that experience begins with the body, not just the mind. This truth grounds us in corporeal reality—as we encounter the world first through bodily sensations like sweat and temperature—before forming abstract thoughts. The exhibition situates thinking itself as emerging from embodied existence, not a disembodied intellect, insisting we recognize the primacy of our fleshly forms as the basis for consciousness. <br><br> Sweaty Armpits features a gathering of artists whose approaches to the innately human experience of anxiety originate from diverse positions. This perspective reflects our actual world, highlighting both the universality and unique characteristics of stress. Ultimately, the exhibition underscores our shared sense of empathy and connection, reminding us of a fundamental truth we frequently overlook—we all live in bodies.
