An exercise in 'naturalization' at Minneapolis' SooVAC gallery

October 31, 2019 — 12:19pm

'Today, we become'

The artist Prerna questions the documents that legally define what it means to be American in an ongoing, performative installation. She etched text from the 1980 version of the Basic Guide to Naturalization and a speech by the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization onto a white gallery wall at SooVAC, and will gradually fill in the words with spackle during the course of the show. For example, the term "American citizenship" is erased from the sentence "American citizenship is the greatest responsibility." Eventually the wall will return to a supposedly "neutral" shade of white — another slyly inserted institutional critique. Prerna, who was born in Mumbai and is an MFA student at the University of Minnesota, also references her own experience as a nonresident alien. (11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.; 11-7 Thu.-Fri.; 11-4 Sat.-Sun. Ends Nov. 17. Soo Visual Arts Center, 2909 Bryant Av. S., Mpls. Free. 612-871-2263 or soovac.org)

Alicia Eler

More from Star Tribune

Local Fired Mpls. teacher accuses management of 'cancerous rot'

9:18pm

Twins Twins lose 5-4 to Tigers as struggles mount late

9:48pm

Local Minnesota to close state park on Iron Range, turn it back into a mine

3:58pm

Business Two major downtown Minneapolis towers face change as hybrid shuffle continues

3:13pm

More from Star Tribune

Local Fired Mpls. teacher accuses management of 'cancerous rot'

9:18pm

Twins Twins lose 5-4 to Tigers as struggles mount late

9:48pm

Local Minnesota to close state park on Iron Range, turn it back into a mine

3:58pm

Business Two major downtown Minneapolis towers face change as hybrid shuffle continues

3:13pm

More from Star Tribune

Local Fired Mpls. teacher accuses management of 'cancerous rot'

9:18pm

Twins Twins lose 5-4 to Tigers as struggles mount late

9:48pm

Local Minnesota to close state park on Iron Range, turn it back into a mine

3:58pm

Business Two major downtown Minneapolis towers face change as hybrid shuffle continues

3:13pm

Local Records: Former Minneapolis police oversight head disparaged women, threatened staff

5:36pm

Eat & Drink 8 Midwestern supper clubs that get it right

April 18

More from Star Tribune

Local Fired Mpls. teacher accuses management of 'cancerous rot'

9:18pm

Twins Twins lose 5-4 to Tigers as struggles mount late

9:48pm

Local Minnesota to close state park on Iron Range, turn it back into a mine

3:58pm

Business Two major downtown Minneapolis towers face change as hybrid shuffle continues

3:13pm

Local Records: Former Minneapolis police oversight head disparaged women, threatened staff

5:36pm

Eat & Drink 8 Midwestern supper clubs that get it right

April 18

More from Star Tribune

Local Fired Mpls. teacher accuses management of 'cancerous rot'

9:18pm

Twins Twins lose 5-4 to Tigers as struggles mount late

9:48pm

Local Minnesota to close state park on Iron Range, turn it back into a mine

3:58pm

Business Two major downtown Minneapolis towers face change as hybrid shuffle continues

3:13pm

More from Star Tribune

Local Fired Mpls. teacher accuses management of 'cancerous rot'

9:18pm

Twins Twins lose 5-4 to Tigers as struggles mount late

9:48pm

Local Minnesota to close state park on Iron Range, turn it back into a mine

3:58pm

Business Two major downtown Minneapolis towers face change as hybrid shuffle continues

3:13pm

More from Star Tribune

Local Fired Mpls. teacher accuses management of 'cancerous rot'

9:18pm

Twins Twins lose 5-4 to Tigers as struggles mount late

9:48pm

Local Minnesota to close state park on Iron Range, turn it back into a mine

3:58pm

More from Star Tribune

Local Fired Mpls. teacher accuses management of 'cancerous rot'

9:18pm

Twins Twins lose 5-4 to Tigers as struggles mount late

9:48pm

Local Minnesota to close state park on Iron Range, turn it back into a mine

3:58pm

Live video of man who set himself on fire outside court proves challenging for news organizations

Video cameras stationed outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial caught the gruesome scene Friday of a man who lit himself on fire and the aftermath as authorities tried to rescue him.

Variety

7:00pm

4/20 grew from humble roots to marijuana's high holiday

Saturday marks marijuana culture's high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts.

Nation

5:59pm

FILE - Mandisa performs during the Dove Awards Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014, in Nashville.

Mandisa, Grammy-winning singer and 'American Idol' alum, dies at 47

Mandisa, a contemporary Christian singer who appeared on ''American Idol'' and won a Grammy for her 2013 album 'Overcomer', has died. She was 47.

Variety

5:58pm

Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is here. Is it poetry? This is what experts say

Taylor Swift has released her 11th studio album, ''The Tortured Poets Department.''

Business

5:39pm

Here's how Phish is using the Sphere's technology to give fans something completely different

Phish opened its four-night stay at the Sphere Thursday with a four-hour show that used the advanced technology in the $2.3 billion arena to deliver a show that even the band's most ardent fans have never experienced before.

StarTribune

An exercise in 'naturalization' at Minneapolis' SooVAC gallery

'Today, we become'

Live video of man who set himself on fire outside court proves challenging for news organizations

4/20 grew from humble roots to marijuana's high holiday

Mandisa, Grammy-winning singer and 'American Idol' alum, dies at 47

Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is here. Is it poetry? This is what experts say

Here's how Phish is using the Sphere's technology to give fans something completely different