“Perfect Touch (2021)” by Sarah Rara

Perfect Touch (2021) by Sarah Rara – a soothing reminder of connection in the midst of the pandemic

When we met with Sarah Rara to talk about LUMINEX: Dialogues of Light, we were still in the midst of a pandemic which meant that the meeting was, of course, held on Zoom. If you look at Rara’s work though, you might notice that these kinds of connections – those facilitated by digital technologies – are exactly where this artist feels most at home. In fact, Rara’s mixed media work is widely known for living within this digital sphere and when it came to Perfect Touch (2021) this couldn’t be more evident.

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Perfect Touch (2021), was an in-depth and direct exploration into the themes of contact, telepresence, kinship, distance, and loss. It also seemed to be a continuation of Rara’s investigation into how information can be mined, relayed, and explored through light and sound. 

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At LUMINEX: DIalogues of Light both light and sound was paired, by Rara, with close-up visuals of two sets of hands performing string figure games at opposite sides of downtown’s 1154 S Olive St building, the idea of kinship is clear to see – not only does this game depend on connection, it also revisits childhood. It is reminiscent of time spent in the playground and the physical connections that seem to only exist in past, more simple times. 

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Telepresence is the next theme that comes through in Rara’s Perfect Touch (2021). The very medium itself – video projection, which dominated the entire exhibition at LUMINEX: Dialogues of Light – encapsulates the dependency we have on technology as an aid in maintaining relationships near and far. The physical distance between the two screens that Rara used for her work also show a moment in which there is connection separated by distance, which is emphasized by the strings which elicit memories of the make-shift telephone wires children would create for play. Again, this nods to the new ways in which we are seeking connection, and remembering our connections, through technology.

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The loss that can be felt by the audience through Rara’s work is that of in-person connection; the innocence of our playful, seemingly easy past-times; and, perhaps, the loss of a pre-pandemic society. However, there is hope present too – hope that technology can aid us in our attempt to close the divide between connection and perhaps even aid us in healing while we work toward a future our younger selves would be proud of.

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As Rara said, “making use of the physical interval between the north and south sides of the building, Perfect Touch (2021) explores the in-between spaces and invisible entanglements between us.” It is also here that the intermingling of varying emotions that come as a result of facing both loss and hope are able to be given room to be processed, appreciated, and honored.

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If you weren’t able to see Perfect Touch (2021) at LUMINEX: Dialogues of Light you can watch it through the livestream!

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More about the artist

Rara is a contributing member of the ongoing project Lucky Dragons (with Luke Fischbeck). Her work, solo and in collaboration, has been presented at such institutions as the Hammer Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art (as part of the 2008 Whitney Biennial), the Centre Georges Pompidou, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, London’s Institute for Contemporary Art, PS1 in New York, REDCAT and LACMA in Los Angeles, MOCA Los Angeles, the 54th Venice Biennale, and the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, among others.

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Her first volume of poems “Earth Breakup” was released by Hesse Press Fall 2015. The chapbook “Chronic Objector” was released by Miniature Garden Spring 2017. Rara is a 2018 recipient of the LACMA Art + Technology fellowship.