Marcus Herse

 Showing video works at the interstice of self awareness, identity politics and the normative offerings of mass and social media, this exhibition presents a selection of feminine perspectives on the sensual realities of excessive acquisition and collecting (hoarding), appearance enhancement (cosmetics), sexual selection (dating), and free time.

Skin, next to eyes, ears and nose, connects our inner experience to the exterior as one of the body's sensual boundaries, and is only the first layer within which we live and relate to the world. Our skin gives us an instantaneous impression of our surroundings, and we notice if it’s warm, cold, wet, dry, still or breezy. Through it we understand the broad palette of human interaction, from our parents’ affection to our lovers’ touch. The importance of our largest organ is reflected in a trove of idioms. We feel at home in our skin, my sister is thick skinned and last nights movie got under my skin. We take care of it with baths and lotions, and we use it to communicate our identity, with make up, or using permanent images, wearing Brandings or tattoos.

As we zoom out, and away from the body, clothing and architecture appear as secondary and tertiary layers of protection and identity. While important to one's well-being, they are not directly part of the body, and successively have more to do with communicating our self image and our status within society; Modes to show one's convictions, preferences and personality.

The triage of skin, clothing and habitation lies at the core of the individuals’ sense of identity. Navigating between the possibilities and constraints of these forms the works in the exhibition explore notions of home and the meanings of inhabiting any one of these realms. From the contacts we make to the stuff we collect, to the the place or person that makes you feel at home; Our skins can be krustles indeed.