Rindon Johnson, Cambrian slippery wetness, I’ve never looked at anything so long, and in which of us people does the common matter rise?, 2021

2021

Medium

Leather, bleach, crayon, polyurethane and mica

Dimensions

165 × 96.5 cm

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-156249

"Cambrian slippery wetness [...]" (2021) is a sculpture made of leather, a material that Johnson repeatedly uses to refer to various social issues. Acquired as a by-product of the meat industry, the artist treats the skins with various means, such as polyurethane, bleach, minerals and colored pencils, leaving them to the weather for months, which also leaves traces in the leather. By choosing this material, Johnson administers himself to the skins, referring through their presentation to the general submission, neglect and interchangeability of living beings in our time. The actual act of molting, a violent transgression of body boundaries, illustrates this form of objectification. With the leather works, Johnson emphasizes the recognition of the ability of animals to act and questions the ethics and sustainability of our profit-oriented interests in connection with animal products. At the same time, "Cambrian slippery wetness [...]" transfers these questions to identity-political and classist issues, as well as practices of racist exploitation.