07/28/2025
This piece, “Fear, Repair, Flow”, magnifies the invisible work of our hands as they unravel and weave life’s messes, opportunities, and cycles. Appearing elsewhere in the exhibition, Kamagate interprets the fiery thread in three formats to convey our hands’ dynamic capabilities. Across the images, some hands are shrouded in light as they rise to the occasion of untangling the threads, while some remain in the shadow, concealing their work or participation. Others find themselves in the middle, their work only partially visible, but not fully. Installed at person-scale, these hands are accessible to touch, honoring the sense of interconnectedness that contextualizes our state of being and the nature of the Reimagining Columbus project.
The series progresses through various networks of undoing. In the first image, the knotted thread conveys tensions between individuals and across communities. The orange thread pulses with frustration and intensity, with some hands actively untangling the thread, or letting go, while others passively disengage. Perfection and order contextualize the second image, which is inspired by a gill net, a highly successful method of fishing that was used in Central Ohio waters by indigenous communities for generations. Its symmetrical form and precise shape leave little room for flaws or disorder, complicating the nature of human creativity and interaction. Finally, tension and perfection find common ground in the third image, which presents the orange thread in an organic form, which is neither chaotic nor neat, but rather embraces the virtues of both, much like nature.
Should you be curious to learn more about the Reimagining Columbus Project, please follow the link in our bio, or copy the URL below:
https://www.reimaginingcolumbus.com/
“Fear, Repair, Flow” (left to right)
Fire Opal nylon thread, collage, printed on Photoex
