Sorry for Real is a video animation by artist Tabita Rezaire in which a text-to-speech (white, male) reading voice declaims a 16 minute-long apology, beat by beat, of all of the devastations of racism, settler-colonialism and ongoing extraction, on behalf of the “Western World”. An anonymous, robotic caller performs a seemingly infinite tirade, while an exchange of text messages (“WTF??”, “Thanks for the speech, but…”, “I want his battery to die! Please!”) reveal the performativity of acts of white apology in the face of ongoing and blatant structural white supremacy.
About the artist
Tabita Rezaire is infinity longing to experience itself in human form. Her path as an artist, devotee, yogi, doula, and soon to be farmer is all geared towards manifesting the divine in herself and beyond. Embracing digital, corporeal and ancestral memory, she digs into scientific imaginaries and mystical realms to tackle the colonial wounds and energetic misalignments that affect the songs of our body-mind-spirits. Rezaire’s work is rooted in time-spaces where technology and spirituality merge as fertile ground to nourish visions for connection and emancipation. Through screen interfaces and healing circles, her offerings aim to nurture our collective growth and expand our capacity for togetherness. The artist is based near Cayenne in French Guiana, where she is currently studying Agriculture and birthing AMAKABA – her vision for collective healing in the Amazonian forest.
Her offerings have been shared widely – Centre Pompidou, Paris; MASP, São Paulo; Serpentine, London; MoMa, NY; New Museum, NY; Gropius Bau, Berlin; MMOMA, Moscow; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; ICA London; V&A London; National Gallery Denmark; The Broad LA; MoCADA, NY; Tate Modern, London; Museum of Modern Art, Paris – and presented for international biennales in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kochi, Athens, and Berlin. Sorry for Real is presented as part of Serpentine’s Back to Earth project.
