Kat Reynolds: The States Projects: Missouri

Kat Reynolds: The States Projects: Missouri by Jess T. DuganJanuary 12, 2017

©Kat Reynolds

When I was invited to be the editor for the Missouri edition of the States Project, several people immediately came to mind that I already had the pleasure of knowing. However, in an effort to not exist purely within my own bubble, I asked several fellow artists for recommendations, and Kat Reynolds’ name came up over and over again.

Kat’s work specializes in portraiture and architectural photography. Her work deals in Blackness from her own perspective, and she continually searches for what it means to produce “Black work.” She has created several bodies of work, including Be Sore Be Tender, The Domestic Lonely, and Ask Her How She’s Doing, a photographic series and exhibition dedicated to creating awareness to black female depression and the “super woman complex.” Kat currently lives and works in St. Louis, MO.

Kat has exhibited work in many spaces and institutions around Saint Louis, including the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Fort Gondo Compound for the Arts, and Reese Gallery. Internationally she was hired to work for ImPulsTanz, the largest contemporary dance festival in Europe, as the event photographer where she worked on photographic and performance projects within the MUMOK, the Weltmuseum, and many other unique venues around Vienna, Austria.

This year she completed her first residency in Berlin, Germany where she exhibited her work twice at Takt Kunsterprojectum; bringing together her two loves, architectural photography and authentic movement from the subject being photographed. For the future, she will be exhibiting in group and solo shows in Saint Louis, speaking at The Contemporary Art Museum of Saint Louis and The Saint Louis Art Museum, and working on expanding her practice into more sculptural and performance works.

This Wasn’t for You

This Wasn’t for You pertains to the overwhelming need to claim someone else’s sadness or happiness because of your own actions. During this time I was beginning to experience a couple of bouts with depression and hearing people say things like “I’m sorry I made you feel that way” which really wasn’t an apology. So I decided that my neither sadness nor happiness was for them, but for me. I was beyond honored that Sabaah Jordan (the women being photographed) obliged to take part in this project and make it a rewarding and therapeutic process.