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Maybe rainbows do exist at night
Microscope Gallery
December 13, 2019 – January 20, 2020
Photos courtesy of Microscope Gallery.
Through multi-channel video, neon sculpture, 35mm slide projection, and mixed-media works in Maybe rainbows do exist at night, LeSeur seeks to challenge negative notions of blackness and to achieve and depict freedom within a marginalized body, or more specifically “a queer, femme, and black body.”
“Rainbows are a reflection of light, yet in darkness, there must be a projection of light in order to re-create this phenomenon. The same can be said when thinking of the perception of blackness within cultural and societal contexts. There is beauty within blackness that has to be projected in order to be accepted.”
In the eponymous 6-channel video installation, LeSeur represents the “tug and pull” attempting to attain a sense of true beauty and freedom. LeSeur’s work begins with the artist concealed behind an African mask and ends with her dancing without restrictions or adornments in nature. In the 24-minute work, LeSeur is seen at times performing lyrical and dance-like movements with her head, torso, arms and hands as well as various rituals with milk, African vases, sheer red and blue veils, or a trumpet held before an American flag, among others. Excerpts from archival footage of a transcendent harp performance by Alice Coltrane and an audio recording of Gil Scott Heron’s “Who will survive in America” serve as powerful references as well as elements of catharsis and inspiration for the artist.
Video Works
Excerpt from the 6-channel piece
Maybe rainbows do exist at night
Maybe rainbows do exist at night
Installation Views
