WESTERN FRONT – Shameless Light

Description:

To close the exhibition Feral Domestic by Dani and Sheilah ReStack, Western Front presented an iteration of the artists’ ongoing performance Shameless Light (2016—). For the performance, queer-identified women and non-binary community members have been invited to write love letters, which they will read aloud under red neon lights.

The work was initiated in Carrizozo, New Mexico following the 2016 US election, and has since been staged at galleries, universities, and project spaces across the United States.

Shameless Light places articulations of queer love and desire into public space to be contended with as declaration of existence and disruption of heteronormative ideals; to create space for queer love as an unruly and generative act.

The evening began with a letter by Sheilah ReStack, followed by Ogheneofegor Obuwoma, Jen Sungshine, Sidney Gordon, Valérie d. Walker, Randy Lee Cutler, Amber Dawn, and Dani ReStack. After a short intermission, the ReStacks were joined by Western Front executive director Susan Gibb for a conversation about their collaborative practice, the Feral Domestic trilogy, and their desires for future stagings of Shameless Light.

A projected image leads to a doorway which holds glowing orange light. The projection shows a person lying down with a small shaven circle on their head. A pile of hair rests above their left shoulder, and on their right, is a hand holding a small metal canister.

A presenter, dressed in black, holds a single piece of paper and reads aloud. They wear straight hair in a low ponytail, and hold the paper by their waist. They stand in front of neon red lights shaped like cones.

A presenter, dressed in a black dress, holds a piece of paper near their chest. They wear twisted hair to the length of their shoulders and a necklace with a black charm. They stand in front of red neon lights shaped like cones.

A presenter, wearing all black, holds a piece of paper to their right side. They wear straight hair past their shoulders and face out to an audience.

A presenter, dressed in white, holds a piece of paper with their right hand while resting the left of their abdomen. They wear a choppy hairstyle with their eyes locked on the page. A fan whirls to the right, pointed out at the engaged audience.

A presenter, dressed in a black coat and tie-dye shirt, holds onto a page of paper with two hands. They wear curly hair above their shoulders. They stand in front of orange lights which fill the room in their hue.

A presenter, dressed in a black sweater and wearing reading glasses, holds two sheets of paper to their right side. Their hair is fashioned into a curly mullet reaching their shoulders. They stand in front of two cone-shaped neon lights and read out to the audience.

A presenter, dressed in black, reads from paper held in their right hand. They wear wavy hair in a ponytail and stand in front of neon lights. They read out to an audience which leans in towards the speaker.

A presenter, dressed in a black button up, holds a piece of paper in their right hand, with the left one resting at their side. They wear a short hairstyle, with straight hair falling right above their ears. The orange glow of neon lights shine on faces in the audience.

Three speakers sit below neon lights. The person on the right leans forward to see the two others. The one in the centre gestures, reaches out their arm, curving their hand back in towards their stomach.

Related Events

2024

Feral Domestic

Captions:

Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Sheilah ReStack reading at Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Ogheneofegor Obuwoma reading at Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Jen Sungshine, reading at Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Sidney Gordon reading at Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Valérie d. Walker reading at Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Randy Lee Cutler reading at Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Amber Dawn reading at Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Dani ReStack reading at Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Sheilah ReStack, Dani ReStack, and Susan Gibb at Shameless Light, photo documentation, Apr 6, 2024. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.

Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.