Rachel Monosov
Hold On, 2022

Rachel Monosov’s new sculptural and performative work titled Hold On revolves around acts of holding in relation to care and the fragility of the moment. Her minimalist approach shifts the focus to that which is invisible, but can destroy or empower.

The ancient Greek philosopher Anaximenes believed air is the eternal original substance from which the physical universe was formed. He used scientific reasoning to observe that living things needed to breathe air in order to survive. Anaximenes argued that air must then be the original source of life and all physical things: “Just as our soul, being air, holds us together, so do breath and air encompass the whole world.” -Anaximenes. This implies that the body cannot be directed without a soul. We must clench into air to prevent external dark forces from affecting our bodies.

Each sculpture presents with it instructions of how it is activated with a breath. Monosov focuses on how one can act with care in opposition to violence through the relationship between the action of holding and breathing. Nevertheless, the word hold could stand for forced stillness, preventing an action, or holding a breath. Through this juxtaposition, a question arises: Could taking care put one in control and give him or her power? This ambivalent thought manifests in the choreography of the performer’s actions as she interacts with each sculpture.