Manifesta purposely strives to keep its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production, instead seeking fresh and fertile terrain for the mapping of a new cultural topography.
Cudelice Brazelton IV, US
Abrade, 2022. Steel, inkjet print, exciter, amplifier, audio (“CJ’s Quest for Metal Factors,” ConQuest Tony Phillips, MP3, loop 14’) 26 x 26 cm.
The relationship between the body and hardware lies at the forefront of Cudelice Brazelton’s work and is echoed through techniques of tearing, piercing and reconstruction. Images sourced from the barbershop and urban life are transferred onto denim and burned with soldering irons, producing ephemeral traces of a figure that peel from the surface to reveal layers beneath or the wall itself. Though no figure is depicted, a human presence is still perceived through subcultural symbols. Brazelton's work is often site specific and focused on the material that is used. Scratching, rubbing and scarifying take reference to cosmetic rituals and bodily habits of self expression. Sound further activates the work in the form of devices, expanding ideas of assemblage, Blackness, and the remix of labor and expression.