Two ways of seeing the distance between us
We are told, in these pandemic days, to stay six feet away from each other. It’s for our safety, and to keep others safe, too. This is not the first time in history physical distance has been encouraged.
“Linear Painting #6” by Kapwani Kiwanga, from Hamilton, but now based in Paris, is part of the National Gallery of Canada’s collection. It is an example of colour field painting.
Jonathan Shaughnessy, the associate curator of contemporary art at the National Gallery, talks about the first time he saw this work, one of a series of paintings.
“I first encountered Kapwani Kiwanga’s ‘Linear Paintings’ in a solo exhibition in Berlin in 2017 where they were accompanied by ‘500 Feet’ (2017), a 12-minute audio work that permeated the space of the gallery.
“In this work, the artist’s voice reads texts from the fields of colour theory and behavioural science in a cerebral, unexpressive tone. Within the mix of seemingly innocuous facts were more telling bits, including a transcript from the 1931 Paris International Conference on Colonial Urbanism that referenced “500 feet” as a safe distance to maintain between
Indigenous and European areas of a colony. The audio work undermines the apparent neutrality of knowledge; querying how supposedly objective areas of research can be used to reinforce power and authority,” he wrote on the Gallery’s website.
Space can keep us safe, but it can also drive a wedge between us. As we keep 6 feet, two metres, apart, let’s remember the literal distance is temporary; it is our humanity that connects us.
You can read more of Shaughnessy’s observations and more about how this work connects to care and our working environment at the website of the National Gallery gallery.ca.