The other week I went to the opening of Permindar Kaur’s latest show Black & Blue at New Art Projects. Her work fits nicely in the spacious and industrial gallery space with four big interconnected rooms. A recurring theme in her work is the a slightly menacing looking teddy bear with pointy ears that is somewhat endearing and vulnerable at times. It may be the softness of the stuffed animals that conveys a sense of tenderness and memories from childhood or it may be their curious poses but, one is vaguely aware of something else deeper happening on a different level that begs for more investigation.

At the gallery I had the chance to bump into the Permindar Kaur and I was able to ask her a few questions about the exhibition.

Q. What is your show about?

P. Well this work is about creating a space for these black teddies that have pointed ears and you’re not sure who these teddies are so when you enter the space you’re thinking you entering their space so it’s like this confrontation… which is hard to explain

Q. I also noticed this barrier before you enter the spaces that intentional ?

Yes because it defines their space and it is not like a WW2 barrier because the points are pointing down, it’s a movable barrier that is protecting the teddies

Q. Protecting…

Yes, I mean some people say they are being penned in but I see it as as protecting they teddies.

Q. Yea I see that as well

P. So when you enter there are two teddies here to greet you and when you leave there are two teddies by the doorway so it’s clearly marking their their territory that this is their space …

via PressSync