Zach Feuer Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition compromised by Kate Levant. The exhibition, opening July 16, will conclude with a blood drive at the gallery on September 2 and 3. To register to donate, please contact the gallery at [email protected] In addition to work by Kate Levant, the show will include contributions by Noel Anderson, BOBO, Brian Faucette, Michael E. Smith, Elaine Stocki and Jacques Vidal.

BLOOD DRIVE

A SHOW BASED ON THE PHRASE-NOTION : A ‘RENEWAL OF PERCEPTION’ THOUGH I WASN’T QUITE SURE WHAT THAT MEANT I THOUGHT I’D OPEN IT UP TO A FEW ARTIST I KNEW WELL, AND SOME I DIDN’T KNOW TOO WELL AT ALL, BUT THOUGHT WOULD TWIST THE SITUATION I WAS TRYING TO IMAGINE.

I REQUESTED THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS LOOK INTO WHAT’S BEEN MOTIVATING THEIR WORK : ASSUMING THE DEGREES OF MEDIATION NOWADAYS : AS THEY QUESTION AND COMMENT UPON :REALITIES: ENCOUNTER IN EVERYDAY LIFE : THIS REFLECTIVE BRAINSTORMING WAS AN OPEN PLATFORM INVITATION TOWARDS A COMMISSION TO PRODUCE PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL FOR A BLOOD DONATION DRIVE : AND THAT WAS AN OPEN PLATFORM AS WELL .

BLOOD DRIVE

I WANT TO SITUATE A MOMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN A PHYSICALITY THAT IS ULTIMATELY PERSONAL : BUT THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE IDENTIFICATION THROUGH ANY SOCIALLY INFORMED PERCEPTION : PERSON:AL : AS IN : THE BASIC PHYSICAL BIOLOGY THAT MAKES US : HUMAN :

I WANT TO INITIATE AN EXPERIENCE .. AT A PACE .. OF A PULSE .. THE PACE OF . THE PULSE OF . YOUR BLOOD THROUGH YOUR BODY . OR CONVERSELY : RATHER : YOUR BLOOD : OUT OF YOUR BODY :

IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. I AM HOSTING THE NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER :: TO CONDUCT A BLOOD DRIVE : TO DO WHAT THEY DO : TO DRAW APPROXIMATELY 450-500 MILLILITERS OF WHOLE BLOOD FROM EACH DONOR : AND TAKE IT BACK TO THE BANK : STERILE-SEALED IN PLASIC : TO THEN MATCH IT TO : THE TRANSFUSABLE USE OF SOME OTHER HUMAN : IN NEED :

UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES I INTEND TO DESIGNATE : HOWEVER : THE BLOOD DRIVE WILL FACILITATE AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE DONOR IT WILL ALL FUNCTION AS A SORT OF STAGE-SET-MECHANISM : SITUATING THE DONOR / / PARTICIPANT IN THE POSITION OF ‘SAFE’ PASSIVITY : “LETING” THIS EXPERIENCE PASS THROUGH HIS / HER ‘COROPREALITY’ I HOPE TO INSTIGATE THIS DEFERRED COMPREHENSION : AWARENESS : AND OWNERSHIP OF THE DONORS’ BODILY COMPOSURE : AND THE TENSION OF BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THE INTERIOR AND THE EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS OF THE HUMAN FORM.

LET’S CONSIDER THE BASE PRINCIPLE OF THE BLOOD DRIVE AS THE STRICT BIOLOGY ENGAGING THE NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER IN THEIR WORK : THOUGH THEIR ‘CAUSE’ MAY BE TERMED ‘HUMANITARIAN’ – IN THAT THEY ARE SUSTAINING HUMANITY THROUGH THIS TRANSFUSION TECHNOLOGY – IT IS PRECISELY THE FACT THAT WE ARE ALL HUMAN – WHICH ENABLES THE INTER-CHANGE OF THIS LIFE-SUBSTANCE – WHEN THE CORRECT MATCHING OF BLOOD TYPES IS APPLIED. BUT ITS A BIG JOB TO STRIP THE SOCIAL MEANING FROM THE WORK THAT AN ORGANIZATION LIKE THE NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER DOES FOR SOCIETY.

I AM A REGULAR BLOOD DONOR : BUT I DON’T GIVE BLOOD BECAUSE JOEY GOT IN A CAR CRASH : OR : JANE HAS SICKLE CELL ANEMIA . I GIVE BLOOD TO PARTAKE IN THE REGENERATIVE PROCESS THAT GOES ON AFTER THAT PINT OF BLOOD LEAVES MY BODY. TO TRY AND RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT NEW BLOOD IS BEING PRODUCED UPON THE LATTER’S REMOVAL . BUT I CANNOT ASSUME THIS POSITION WILL TRANSLATE SO EASILY INTO OTHER’S PARTICIPATION IN THE ACT LETTING BLOOD OUTSIDE OF THE BODY WHICH WE’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LET HAPPEN TO OURSELVES

IF THERE ARE ESSENTIALLY DIFFERENT CAUTIONARY MEASURES THAT ONE MUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHEN INTRODUCING THE ENCOUNTER OF A MATERIAL OBJECT : FROM : INTRODUCING THE ENCOUNTER OF A HUMAN : I AM COMPELLED BY THIS DIFFERENTIATION.

BUT IS IT ‘BACKWARDS’ TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS WAY? MOTIVATED BY A -SELFISH-DESIRE FOR A LITTLE TRANSFORMATION? OR – DOES THIS PREOCCUPATION PROVOKE A FERTILE DEBATE - ABOUT WHERE WE’RE LOOKING : WHAT WE’RE PAYING ATTENTION TO

- Kate Levant