PRESENTATION: Danielle Brathwaite Shirley-The Soul Station
Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley is a Berlin-based artist who graduated from Slade School of Fine Art, London in 2019. Working pre- dominantly in animation, sound, performance and video game development, the artist explores voices that (en)counter miss-representation, exclusion and mainstream erasure, with a focus on Black and Trans communities.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: LAS Art Foundation Archive
Through this approach, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley both archives and anticipates narratives outside of the mainstream, so as to overcome the harms of tokenisation and erasure. By engaging the visitor-player through most of their installations, Brathwaite-Shirley examines how individual choices are as critical as collective, political responsibility in the context of marginalisation. “THE SOUL STATION” is Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s first solo presentation in Germany, the exhibition features a newly commissioned work and a survey of video games made by Brathwaite-Shirley over the past five years. Through game-based installations and fictional universes, visitors will be invited to explore their ethical, political and moral decision-making, and consider the broader structures and histories of marginalisation. A newly commissioned work, entitled “YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING”, will be presented in two episodes; the second episode will be revealed on 12 September 2024 during Berlin Art Week. At Halle am Berghain, “YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING” is presented at the centre of an immersive, haunting environment created by the artist. Its architecture will evoke ‘low poly PlayStation 2’ aesthetics and allude to uncanny beings that appear throughout the course of the game. The work tells the story of a cataclysmic event in a society parallel to ours, where a revolution has been led against globalised slavery and overthrown the enslavers. Played using a voting system, it features a central gamer’s chair and circle of player-spectators who, together, define the story’s final outcome. “YOU CAN’T HIDE ANYTHING” builds on the artist’s work with the audience-as-medium and is the culmination of a journey visitors will take through the space. On arrival, each visitor will receive a ‘SOUL CARD’, a token enabling them to track their progress and choices throughout the games. This can be done by accessing ‘SOUL STATIONS’ – functioning similarly to video game checkpoints – which will be available throughout the presentation as well as online. The journey will invite visitors to contend with their own experiences, choices and biases. Offering a comprehensive survey of Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s oeuvre, “THE SOUL STATION” includes key works from the past five years. Together they will trace the artist’s practice, which combines lived experience with speculative fiction in order to shed light on positions and histories that are often simplified or disregarded. Highlights include “Into the Storm” (2021), “Invasion Pride” (2022), and “THE REBIRTHING ROOM” (2024).
Photo: Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, THE SOUL STATION, 2024. Installation view at Halle am Berghain, Berlin. Commissioned by LAS Art Foundation. Courtesy the artist; LAS Art Foundation. Photo: Alwin Lay
Info: Curators: Boris Magrini and Agnessa Schmudke, Halle am Berghain, Am Wriezener Bahnhof, Berlin, Germany, Duration: 12/7-8/9/2024, Days & Hours: Τue-Sat 14:00-22:00, Sun 12:00-20:00, www.las-art.foundation/
