Between May 23 and June 13, Cindy Baker will be performing the durational work Death and Taxes. A labour-intensive work addressing the nature of daily life (and death), this piece will be accessible only to those who support the project. The level of engagement will fluctuate relative to the donor’s level of interest and financial support, and in negotiation with the artist. The artist will be available via phone/text, Skype, in-person, and through still or video documentation 24 hours a day, and supporters will be invited to participate in the work. Documentation and performance ephemera will be made available to project supporters as well.
Cindy Baker’s interdisciplinary and performance work is informed by a fierce commitment to ethical community engagement and critical social inquiry. Drawing from queer theory, gender culture, fat activism and art theory, Baker’s research-based practice moves fluently between the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Baker considers context her primary medium, and works with diverse materials and techniques from the low-craft (such as latch-hooking) to digital fabrication and performance, emphasizing the theoretical, conceptual and ephemeral aspects of her work.
Baker has exhibited and performed across Canada from Open Space in Victoria, BC to Eastern Edge in St. John’s, NF, and internationally in cities including Los Angeles, CA, the Soap Factory in Minneapolis, MN and ANTIFest in Kuopio, Finland. Her recent performative installation Mighty Men and Mistress Maker recently showed at DC3 Projects in Edmonton.
Baker’s practice draws from two decades of experience in artist-run centres, as well as extensive volunteer work in art and queer communities; she has worked in non-profits throughout Western Canada, including AKA Gallery (Saskatoon). Currently based in Lethbridge, Alberta, Baker has recently completed an MFA at the University of Lethbridge where she held a SSHRC grant for her research in performance in the absence of the artist’s body.
