TONIGHT: Composer and artist Lyra Pramuk will perform inside Donna Huanca’s show at the Henry, MAGMA SLIT. Pramuk, a longtime collaborator with Huanca, will wear a gown designed by the artist and paint her body according to Huanca’s wishes as she performs her songs on stage. It is the first of many performances hosted inside the exhibition, fostered by Huanca as a way to engage with the show’s meaty themes of transcendence and transformation. Find more info here, and read more about the exhibition below.
On a recent bright afternoon at the Henry, sunlight poured into the lower gallery and onto Donna Huanca’s exhibition, Magma Slit. The sunbeams bounced around the all-white room, making the four massive color-soaked paintings on its walls appear even brighter.
As I did laps around the gallery, I lost track of time. I tried to absorb a particular shade of pink in one corner, sized myself up against some body rubbings in another, and listened to bird trills in a curated soundscape section of the show. Far from being alienating, the gallery’s white walls and floor felt comforting.
The commissioned exhibition by the Berlin-based Bolivian-American artist aims to dissect big concepts, things like decay, growth, and the passage of time. It does this by enveloping viewers in a visual, sonic, and olfactory space. Exhibiting during a very pandemic moment, where time seems as slippery as ever and the balance of life and death feels deeply out of whack, Magma Slit transports viewers to a realm where comprehension of these things (time, growth, decay) seems briefly attainable.
