Simon(e) van Saarloos:

The first time I encountered Jacolby Satterwhite’s work was a complete and ultimately pleasant surprise. Drawn to the description of queer animation and reparative Black history narration, I entered an upstairs Gallery in Chinatown, New York. I may have stayed in the gallery for hours, lying on the floor, surrounded by flashing pink and purple, mesmerized by the combination of bdsm or superhero leather suits, cuddling or fighting bodies, animal- and humanlike figures changing into undefined matter. Images I thought I recognized – braided hair? – fluidly transformed – tentacles, iron chains? – and this constant shapeshifting didn’t only satisfy my desire for symbolical abundance, but also created a wholly different experience of time. What if different periods of time can fully blend? What if all stories can be told simultaneously? Satterwhite’s work interweaves sculpture, performance and animation whilst interweaving personal memories. This shows in the use of household objects, family home videos and old tape recordings. Satterwhite activated the songs his schizophrenic mother recorded while in the hospital. Her sketches and rhythms – drummed alive by tapping her thigh – inspired the creation of a visual album. Instead of listening with your headphones only, Satterwhite invites the audience to enter a near utopic virtual reality.