Elisabeth Kohnke: The Perfect

Elisabeth Kohnke: The Perfect

August 24 to October 3, 2015
Reception Thursday September 10, 2015 at 5:30 pm with Artist Talk at 6:00 pm
*The gallery will be closed on September 7, 2015 in observance of Labor Day

The Perfect

Kohnke - The PerfectInspired by Jørgen Leth’s “The Perfect Human” and utilizing audio from the film, Kohnke extends and juxtaposes his critique on the human ideal into our daily environments.  For as much as we focus on ourselves and how we could improve or become more “perfect”, we also idealize what nature should look like by encouraging specific ecosystems and disposing of others.  Who ultimately benefits?  Are we flexible enough in our ideologies and efficiencies to allow for change and evolution around us?

The Anthropocene has taught us that humans and nature are not as separate as we thought.  Kohnke intends to explore our struggle in seeking perfection around us through scrutinizing cultural ideals and historical identity.

Elisabeth Kohnke is a visual artist working primarily in installation, video and photography.  Her interests reside in ecosystems, self-reflexivity, post-humanism and memory.  Kohnke received a BA from Mills College in electronic music and video.  Since the early 2000’s she has performed and collaborated with many bay area artists, dancers and filmmakers.  Starting in 2007, she managed the Experimental Media Arts program at Stanford University until she left in 2014 to pursue an MFA in New Genres at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Elisabeth was born in Monterey, California and currently lives and works in San Francisco, California.