Rosa Menkman

At each level, Menkman’s virtual world interferes with the formal properties of VR to create stunning and disorienting environments, throwing into question our preconceived notions of virtual reality. In doing so, ‘Behind White Shadows’ casts light on some of the problematic issues surrounding the emergence of 3D technologies, asking questions such as: what do the hegemonic conventions of sight obscure? And: who gets to move beyond the frame and decide the perspective?

To accompany this exhibition, Menkman releases a new essay ‘The White Shadows of Image Processing: Shirley, Lena, Jennifer and the Angel of History’, presenting her recent research into color test cards. This is the second project supported by the Transfer VR Commission.

Rosa Menkman (b. 1983, The Netherlands) is an artist and theorist who focuses on visual artifacts created by accidents in both analogue and digital media. The images she creates are result from glitches, compressions, feedback and other forms of noise. These artifacts can facilitate an important insight into the otherwise obscure alchemy of standardization via resolutions. This process of imposing efficiency, order and functionality does not just involve the creation of protocols and solutions, but also entails black-boxed, obfuscated compromises and alternative possibilities that are in danger of staying forever unseen or even forgotten. Since 2007 Menkman performs worldwide with her (audio)visual work.