Katherine Simóne Reynolds, Ask Her How She’s Doing
A virtual exhibition on view through projects+gallery
Barrett Barrera Projects brings you a virtual exhibition of the photographic series Ask Her How She’s Doing by artist Katherine Simóne Reynolds, now on view through the end of July from the comfort of your home.
Ask Her How She’s Doing is a photographic series shot over the summer of 2015, in which artist Katherine Simóne Reynolds asked and listened to Black women (some friends, some strangers) in St. Louis neighborhoods while proposing the question “How are you actually doing today.” An attempt to dismantle the myth of the Black superwoman — a strong, impassive figure who, by myriad social forces, is denied the ability to define her own narrative — these documented encounters create a space for the expression of vulnerability and culturally stigmatized emotional states, such as depression. A portion of proceeds from all sales will be donated to The Loveland Foundation, an organization committed to bringing opportunity and healing to communities of color, and especially to Black women and girls.
Katherine Simóne Reynolds’ practice investigates emotional dialects and psychogeographies of Blackness within the “non,” and the importance of “anti-excellence.” Her work tries to physicalize emotions and experiences by constructing pieces that include portrait photography, video works, and choreography. In the process of making subtle changes to her practice she has learned that creating an environment built on intention brings the most disarming feelings to her work. Utilizing the Black body and her own personal narrative as a place of departure has made her question her own navigation of ownership, inclusion, and authenticity within a contemporary gaze. She draws inspiration from Black glamour, the Black athlete, and the Church. Her practice generally deals in Blackness from her own perspective and she continually searches for what it means to produce “Black work.”
Within St. Louis, Reynolds has exhibited work within many spaces and institutions including the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Fort Gondo Compound for the Arts, and The Luminary. Internationally she was hired to work for ImPulsTanz, the largest contemporary dance festival in Europe, as the event photographer where she worked on photographic and performance projects within the MUMOK, the Weltmuseum, and many other unique venues around Vienna, Austria.
Reynolds has exhibited in numerous national, and international group and solo shows, has spoken at The Contemporary Art Museum of Saint Louis and The Saint Louis Art Museum, and MoMA for their Gallery Sessions where she also performed. She has recently exhibited work in the In Practice group exhibition at The Sculpture center and Rule Gallery in Marfa, TX. She has also been appointed as the new curator at The Luminary a non-profit art institution in Saint Louis, MO. Her next exhibition is scheduled for October at the Knockdown Center in NY.
