Virtuous Beasts
8/4 - 8/8
On view at Fourteen30 Contemporary
1501 SW Market Street, Portland OR 97201
*Open by appointment only. To make arrangements please call or text 503.236.1430 or email info@fourteen30.com
Virtuous Beasts
Erfle toc of erfle erfle wyfl woh,
Erfle ofler erfle to fle erfle droh,
Erfle leyde erfle in erflene flroh,
fio heude erfle of erfle erfle ynoh.
Earth took of Earth, Earth with woe,
Earth other Earth to the Earth drew,
Earth laid Earth in an Earthen trough,
Then had Earth of Earth Earth enough.
—Anonymous Middle English Lyric
Virtuous Beasts, an exhibition by Kalaija Mallery. Exploring notions of a post-catastrophe “agri-cult”, Mallery imagines communal living and spiritual cultivation at the end of Capitalism. Drawing from religious and rural aesthetics, she alludes to a morally complicated future. Found and assembled objects paired with drawings and video pursue the notion that freedom is as abundant and fruitful a virtue as the Earth itself.
About Kalaija Mallery
Kalaija Mallery is a multiform artist and community organizer. She works in response to notions of liberation and aesthetic irony, and is interested in the formation of underground religious groups and fringe-communities. She started Third Room in 2017 as a space for experimental exhibitions and diy programming for young and underrepresented artists. She is a 2019 co-recipient of the Precipice Fund for her publication project, "You Are Here". Her artwork has been shown in Beijing, New York, Portland, and Seattle. Kalaija now lives in St. Louis, where she works as acting manager for The Luminary.