Meriem Bennani: Life on the CAPS

Opening: Saturday, Feb 26, 2022 12 – 6 pm
Saturday, Feb 26 – Apr 17, 2022

University of Chicago
5811 S. Ellis Ave.
Cobb Hall, 4th fl.
Chicago, IL, 60637

Life on the CAPS is the final chapter in Meriem Bennani’s film trilogy of the same name, set in a supernatural, dystopian future surrounding a fictional island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This new work is a result of the artist’s research and reflections on the histories of island societies, biotechnology, and vernacular music. Layering live action footage and computer-generated animation, Bennani intuitively adapts editing techniques that evoke documentary film, science-fiction, phone footage, music videos, and reality TV. Her one-person exhibition at the Renaissance Society will mark the debut of this personal, electric yet melancholic consideration of what it is to live in a state of limbo.

Tune in Thursday, March 31 for Live from the CAPS, an hour-long program featuring a number of Meriem Bennani's colleagues and collaborators. Each shares their insights on different aspects of the CAPS trilogy, presented in a variety of formats and accented by Bennani's signature editing style.

Image: Meriem Bennani, Life on the CAPS, 2022, Installation view. Courtesy of the Renaissance Society. Photo: Robert Chase Heishman.