the body draws the room
2026
the body draws the room is a performance by Carmen Argote that transforms the gallery space into an immersive drawing environment through the body. Using a combination of shaving cream and black oil paint, Argote creates large-scale marks on walls and floors as she moves through the space by crawling on her back and tracing the perimeter. Argote performs the physical act of pushing up against the walls of the gallery with her feet, turning movement, endurance, and presence into a material record of the room itself.
This performance marked Argote’s return to Human Resources Los Angeles (HRLA) where she exhibited My Father’s Side of Home in 2014. the body the draws the room reflects the artist’s ongoing exploration of architecture, psychology, and embodiment, offering audiences an opportunity to witness the physical and conceptual scope of her work.
curated by Hugo Cervantes
This project was supported, in part, by a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.
photography by Anna Wittenberg
