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Kai James Speed

Warning: Contains flashing images, and themes of mental illness.

Chimaera, 2021

Video installation

His most recent work, ‘Chimaera’, is a triptych of videos within a single installation. It follows a conversation between three creatures, all representing the different aspects of his identity and their incessant need to talk over and interrupt one another to be heard by the audience.

The inner workings of the mind - constructed and deconstructed in a constant loop through rhetorical questions, internal arguments and divergent thoughts. By allowing the creatures to take on their own minds, they begin to challenge the real world around them. Speed’s work projects his permanent disconnect from reality into an immersive, accessible experience inspired by a long-standing desire to be accepted and understood.   

The work of Kai James Speed is driven by a recurring compulsion to share his world with his audiences. Otherness is the overarching theme, from which stems dialogues around identity and gender. Often, his artwork takes influence from memories, revisiting them to gain new perspectives and to create characterisations of inner facets. Establishing transient spaces and experiences, which allow any individual to be authentic without judgement, is the ultimate goal.  

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