Bolsky Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design is pleased to present:
BILLBOARD PRENUP: A BYTE OF LOVE
A Thesis Exhibition by MFA Fine Arts candidate Vita Kari
Bolsky Gallery
Otis College of Art and Design
9045 Lincoln Blvd Los Angeles 90045
March 22nd - March 29th, 2024
Reception: March 28th, 6-9pm
Performance 7PM
vitakari.com vitawood@vitakari.com
Taking its cues from early reality dating shows, BILLBOARD PRENUP: A BYTE OF LOVE grapples with the blurring of digital and physical boundaries. Kari (they/them) explores their lived experience of becoming a cultural virus, otherwise known as a meme, throughout the gallery and during a performance piece where the artist marries their digital and physical selves.
Through installation, video and sculptural works, Kari invites guests to transition between their domestic, private and public bodies as they enter the space.
Their work about public domain is interrupted by the hyperpersonal, as Kari adorns several objects with designs reminiscent of their grandmother's clothing. Reimaging and recreating their grandmother’s rug’s, Kari elicits narratives of diaspora, family and memory through their hyper feminine queer lens. Leveraging both conventional and cutting-edge technologies, the exhibition seeks to disrupt and reflect upon the nature of self-presentation and identity in a digitally interconnected world.
Vita Kari (they/them, b. 1994, Los Angeles, CA) is a non-binary artist known for creating immersive performance work involving illusion. Kari highlights contemporary issues of digital identity and commercialism.
Kari has performed in Los Angeles, New York City and Miami. They have had solo exhibitions, including "Escape to Vitawood" at ULO World, and participated in group exhibitions, most recently at Good Mother Gallery in Los Angeles. Kari's work has been profiled in publications such as Forbes, Artnet, Interview Magazine, Gay Times, Jezebel and more. They have had collaborations with Marc Jacobs, Loewe, Levi, Warby Parker, PUMA, Savage x Fenty by Rihanna, Bratz, and Adult Swim. Kari is also known for opening VITAWOOD LA; 2020 - 2022, a community-run art space and gallery in Los Angeles. Kari is an MFA candidate at Otis College of Art and design, and recently gave an artist talk at UCLA.
vitakari.com • vitawood@vitakari.com • @vitakari
