Performance - Karima Walker: Graves for the Rain

Graves for the Rain is the first solo museum exhibition by artist and musician Karima Walker who works with sound, sculpture, and durational performance to consider ecological practices and grief in response to the hydrological death of the Santa Cruz River. Through recurring performances, Walker builds up an earthen sculpture and an immersive audio piece, accumulating layers of river material and sound over the course of the exhibition. Informed by the history of human intervention to the river and her ongoing sonic engagement with the landscape, Walker endeavors to understand the ways we relate to the land. Attuning to the river through listening and movement, she states, "I'm holding the microphone up to the river's mouth, circling and circling, grieving in the absence of the body. Can I hear what the river is saying?"

These performances are durational and open-format: visitors are invited to respectfully enter and exit the space at their own discretion. During performances, the artist continually moves fluvial soil. This action may generate dust within the gallery during and immediately following performances. Face masks are available at the front desk.

Location: East Wing Galleries