Soft Urges by Shanekia McIntosh
(Photo: ‘Slow Kinks’ by Shanekia McIntosh, photo by Otto Ohle)
SOFT URGES
Artist: Shanekia McIntosh
Jan 15 – Mar 15
‘Soft Urges’ comprises a small collection of works on paper and paper sculptures, functioning as both artifacts and a play on the themes of time and transitions.
These works serve as a meditation on transitions and the stillness embedded in the passage of time. Rooted in nostalgia, ‘Soft Urges’ emerges as a recollection—a rewind—an attempt to transport to another time. It delves into the mundane, ruminating on the idea of habits and habit-forming, imbuing these simple artifacts with new meaning.
Inspired by overlay billboards and posters decayed with time, as one might casually find in a cityscape, these two works employ the performative process of layering text with paper. Each layer conceals intentions and meaning. The process of layering becomes an “editor” as the original poem becomes obscured and reformed. Guided by the evolving topography of the surface, the unearthing of text informs the transformation of their physical presentation.
This process inspired the basis for ‘Keep Digging’, a maximalist piece featuring 128 individual rings and trinkets made of paper mache clay, hanging on a chain to evoke a charm necklace. The rings, reminiscent of gumball machine rings, reflect on nostalgia, transition, and indulgence.
Shanekia McIntosh is an interdisciplinary artist, encompassing the roles of poet, cultural mapper, and performer. She is an explorer and observer, with the core of her work centered around shaping the narratives of our living history.
Her work has been featured in the New Museum, Second Ward Foundation, Charim, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art’s TBA Festival, Hudson Hall, NY Live Arts, ICA at VCU, Basilica Hudson, and many others. In 2021, she released her debut chapbook, “Spiral as Ritual,” published by Topos Press. In 2023, McIntosh was an artist-in-residence at the International Studio and Curatorial Program in Brooklyn, NY.
‘Soft Urges’ by Shanekia McIntosh is on view from Jan. 15 to Mar. 15 at the Hudson Amtrak Station, 69 S Front St, Hudson, NY 12534