Ka: The Illusion of Being

Through sculpture, painting, and video, Brett investigates identity—its construction, dissolution, and the shifting line between perception and illusion.

At the core of KA: The Illusion of Being is the conflict between the internal sense of self and the external forces that shape it. The exhibition considers how clothing, masks, and context define the ways we are seen—and how those perceptions can distort or clarify our understanding of who we are. Drawing inspiration from W.E.B. Du Bois’s theory of double consciousness, Buddhist philosophy, and ancient Egyptian ideas of spirit, Brett examines identity as a fragile site of negotiation between inner truth and external projection.

Through mostly seashell  and mirror masks, a broken mirror, a painting, a video, and a small bird sculpture—carved and sanded from a seven-foot wooden cross once carried through the streets of Santa Fe, New Mexico—Brett evokes the emotions surrounding identity crises, humiliation, and transformation. Abstracted portraits mirror psychological distortion, while video works extend this meditation into time, context, and self-observation. Together, they form a dialogue about identity as both internal and performed, shifting and ephemeral.

KA: The Illusion of Being speaks to a universal human tension: the conflict between how we perceive ourselves and how we are perceived by others. It invites viewers to reflect on moments when their sense of self has fractured or evolved—and to consider what remains when the layers of ego fall away.