NAMARA projects

Drawing on memories of happiness, Behind the Curtain explores joy and laughter in relationship-building. Moments of shared happiness allows us to bond intimately with one another, helping to shape our sense of self and community. The variations in laughter–effusive, subtle, eye-watering–remain within our bodies, ingrained by past experiences of communal delight.

Behind the Curtain is an exploratory and evolving exhibition. Challenging the often serious tone of exhibition spaces, the project invites joy as expressed through the body in laughter. It embraces playfulness found in everyday objects and people in our lives, relying on shared experiences of silliness, happiness, and carefree joy.

Simultaneously a celebration of laughter and happiness, Behind the Curtain explores the curatorial hand, attempting to unveil curatorial authority and knowledge while repositioning them within a collective. The project asks, “Who is a curator? Who constructs the narratives we encounter in art exhibitions?”

Finally, woven throughout the exhibition is an exploration of sensory encounters in curation. How is the body drawn into curating, and through which senses? Behind the Curtain seeks to reveal the bodily processes inherent in the practice of curation. 

The project is in part community-curated, reflecting the communal and shared nature of laughter. It includes photographs and objects that community members have cherished and graciously loaned for the duration of the exhibition.

My Body is Wherever it Has Something to Do explores multi-sensory encounters with art. Sound, touch, smell, taste, and sight serve as the foundational experiences not only of the artworks presented here but also of their arrangement within the space. The exhibition explores questions such as “How does the body encounter art?” and “Which senses are ignited in the process?”.

The exhibition title is a quote from French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty and serves as an ode to theories of perception that emphasize bodily engagement as foundations for existence. The body exists when it is activated; therefore, our experience of the world is shaped by sensory encounters. My Body is Wherever it Has Something to Do urges us to reconnect with our senses and, through them, form our understanding of the “self” within the exhibition.Interactive artworks are present throughout the exhibition, inviting engagement and shared experiences that draw the body and its senses into meaning-making. Unless otherwise noted, the artworks are to be touched and explored. Mani Mazinani’s Saw Bells, for example, is not only an auditory experience but also a musical instrument that the artist encourages visitors to play.

As we move through the space, My Body is Wherever it Has Something to Do compels our bodies into action; we are drawn into the exhibition, and the exhibition, in turn, relies on our sensory engagements. My Body is Wherever it Has Something to Do ultimately invites existential contemplation through sensory encounters: Who are we, and how do we exist in the world?