Walker Kandis Williams

Kandis Williams: A Surface is the first comprehensive exhibition of the artistic work of Kandis Williams, an American artist, writer, and publisher. Her interdisciplinary practice encompasses collage, sculpture, film, performance, writing, education, and publishing. In her works, Williams explores themes such as race, nationalism, and authority, utilizing both personal and communal narratives. Her collages are meticulously assembled and characterized by a dense layering of forms and content, arranging politically charged and erotic images in a disturbing interplay. These works are inspired by history painting and consist of images sourced from magazines and archival texts. Williams views her collages as a decomposition of photographic value into layered schemes. Furthermore, her performance practice investigates coded social choreographies and addresses structural and systemic violence. In her performances, disembodied text segments become collages that form the scripts for her performers.