DEVICES FOR EVERYDAY LISTENING

SHEILA LAM

On view April 23-27, 2018

Pratt Institute : Steuben Gallery : 200 Willoughby Ave Brooklyn, NY 11201

Opening Reception April 23, 5-8 PM

reverbanthology.com

Above all else, I believe in a practice of life that emphasizes inclusivity; accessible and experimental forms of learning; and finally, advocacy and empowerment for people of color. Skepticism and hope crucially play together to build a more equitable future past the limits of our current possibilities. My work is about achieving a practice of deeper listening. I believe this practice cultivates empathy and awareness, and that we can be better listeners toward one another.

Sometimes it takes building a cup-on-a-string telephone to realize you have one-sided conversations. What kinds of noises do we ignore or take for granted? Are we afraid to know what we don’t understand? How do we attune ourselves to be more receptive? What are the devices, mediators, we use to call ourselves to action?

This exhibition is a call to listen. I navigate the participant through artificial grass with bare feet; amplify the sound of hands touching coarse string; make rain and thunder without rain and thunder. Maybe you’ll hear the same, and maybe you’ll hear it differently. If I showed you my vulnerabilities, would you show me yours?

Sheila Lam is an interdisciplinary artist from California, currently based in Brooklyn, New York. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Art Practice at the University of California Berkeley, and Master of Fine Arts in Integrated Practices at Pratt Institute. Between schools, she worked at the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive as the Membership Coordinator. Her artworks range from sound installation, electronics, performance, text, silkscreen prints, and handmade books. She has exhibited in group shows at Southern Exposure in San Francisco, Oregon Center for the Arts, A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn, and The Boiler Pierogi in Brooklyn.