Kate Turner – When I Was Knee High
March 5 – 13
The Anderson is pleased to present When I Was Knee High from VCUarts Sculpture + Extended Media Studies alumni Kate Turner (MFA 2020).
Artist Statement
When I was young I would get my hair braided. I would get so excited to choose the different colors and lengths. Some of my peers would tease me and call me medusa. My braids were gross snakes they had to run in fear from. I had wished my glare would turn them into stone.
“You’re not getting into college without a scholarship.” Words I can remember spoken by my father. From a young age I was an athlete. Trophies lined my walls with shiny validation. The perfect package for entertainment. To be consumed by all the things around me.
I started stripping at the age of 20. My formative years had trained me for dancing. My athletic black body something of a commodity. All eyes on me as I enticed them into keeping my lights on.
In When I Was Knee High I embody the scarecrow. I ask myself what am I made of? Why was I put here? What is it I am supposed to protect and is it worth its prosperity?
Bio
West Chester is a suburb outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. A township made up of around 62,000 people. Voted “best place to live” by Money Magazine. There are many towns like it scattered throughout the midwest. Bubbles. That’s where Kate grew up. Her practice explores what it was like forging an identity being the product of a transracial adoption. Using her experiences as a sex worker, division I collegiate athlete, and mother Kate Turner examines contemporary issues around identity, race, and gender through multimedia installation, video, and performances. Kate aims to create work that expands the narratives of queer black women making our stories more visible and accessible. Kate Turner received her BFA from Bowling Green State University in 2015 and her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2020. She is currently a resident at the Galveston Artist Residency.
Gallery Hours Tuesday–Friday 12–6pm, Saturday 12–5pm