(M)othered Meat is the debut solo exhibition by Malaysian visual artist, Kara Inez. The exhibition presents several of Inez’s recent silicone sculptures and assemblages that comment on the taboos of female experience, showcased within a quasi-domestic exhibition layout meant to simulate a woman’s intimate sphere. Having previously shown in group shows and art fairs, including S.E.A. Focus and Gajah Gallery, The Back Room is proud to be presenting the first comprehensive showcase of Kara’s recent works.
Over the past four years, Kara has come to be known for her use of silicone and dye which she casts within stockings to create soft sculptures that resemble organs, lumps of flesh, or other mysterious meats. In previous showings, the pieces have a reputation for making viewers recoil at their ambiguous, life-like appearance, accentuated by their glossy, rubbery surfaces, the addition of hair (human and synthetic), and the use of dye mixtures that give them the appearance of bruises or varicose veins. Feminine accessories such as holographic acrylic nails, a batik scrunchie, a porcelain vase, and a jasmine flower are uncanny embellishments on the meats; their attempt to dress up the fleshy sculpture’s abject appearance to make it pretty only doubles down on its abjection. The works push against viewer’s sense of disgust and challenge their capacity to embrace these grotesque forms as art. In doing so, her works serve as a vessel for viewers to have some closure with the more undignified aspects of human existence, like the realities of bodily fluids, ageing, disease, pain.
Some of the works on show are from Kara’s MFA project, which drew on myths of female monsters in Malaysian folklore, particularly the pontianak, to challenge male-dominated forms of thinking and provoke more honest discourse on issues surrounding the female body. Other works, such as Nasi Le, Mak! (2022) questions the subordinate place of the mother in issues of parentage, inspired by the Malaysian government ruling that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers and foreign fathers will not be recognised as citizens (this ruling has since been overturned in February 2023). Other works deal with the failures and frustrations of the human body to live up to societal expectations, particularly when it succumbs to ageing and illness. Presented in a moody, intimate, quasi-domestic set-up, the exhibition joins the intimate with the performative, giving viewers the impression that they’ve walked in on something they shouldn’t be seeing — but why not? The assemblages and sculptures of (M)othered Meat visualise the taboos and deficiencies that are inextricable from the female experience, and human experience more broadly.
Opening reception: Friday, 14 July 2023 at 7 pm
About the Artist
Kara Inez (b. 1991) is a Malaysian artist who draws from her personal experiences to touch on issues surrounding the female body and mental health through mediums such as performance art and sculpture. She is known for the use of abject materials and silicone to create life-like grotesque bodily forms. Her works evoke the feeling of disgust in her audience as a means to challenge the social constructs set in place surrounding these suppressed topics.
Kara is currently based in Melbourne, where she is pursuing her Master’s in Fine Arts. Previously, she was based in Singapore, where she received her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the Lasalle College of the Arts in 2019. Also in 2019, she was the recipient of the Winston Oh Travel Award, which enabled her to venture to Tirupati, South India, to carry out research on the hair trade. Her works have been exhibited locally and internationally in galleries and exhibition spaces such as the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, S.E.A. Focus (Singapore), Art Expo Malaysia, Gajah Gallery (Singapore), nATTA Gallery (Bangkok), and White Box (Kuala Lumpur). (M)othered Meat is her first solo exhibition.
INSTALLATION SHOTS
Photos courtesy of Kenta Chai.
