Needed, But Not Wanted is an ongoing drawing series, which discusses unseen labor through the use of ghosted outlines of blue painter’s tape, often used by art preparators. In this iteration, through the process of rubbing graphite along the outlines of blue painter’s tape and then removing the tape, speaks upon the unseen immigrant labor against United States policies. In working-class labor and art preparator jobs, blue tape commonly supports a task but then immediately disposed of. To me, this mimics the act of forced removal and disposal of immigrant communities.
MANA Contemporary Chicago’s Mind Map is a bi-monthly program that invites Chicago-based artists to create a time-based and site-specific work that shows the artists’ processes. Mind Map looks into the artist’s creative process. With graphite, artists are invited to work on the wall located inside the cafe, reflecting their ideas for two weeks. The exhibition lasts for a month and a half.
