During a radio interview on April 23rd, 2010, Dr. Mario Livio, a senior astrophysicist at the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute, was asked a paradoxical question. “Are those pictures of nebulae actually pink and green?” Dr. Livio wavered in his response. First saying “yes,” then “no,” then admitting that the photographs are seen through more than one reference point and the question of whether something is green or not becomes a question of what lens we are looking through. In other words, it all boils down to a question of perception. For Black Moon, Adds Donna pursues those questions further by creating various lenses and filters of their own.

Through the use of images, small objects, sound, and display methods, Adds Donna attempts to delineate an otherwise indistinguishable space – a cognitive place. Their collective dynamic works as a gauntlet filtration system, allowing individual works to infect each other. Seen as a whole, the separate components of Black Moon create an assemblage of influence. Each element in play may be regarded in relation to its surroundings. And as there are just as many vantages points as there are separate lenses present, a singular interpretation is virtually impossible. Through these mechanisms Adds Donna hopes to draw light on how we mediate and register collective ideas.

Established in the fall of 2009, Adds Donna operates as a collective, a gallery and a study. They live and work in Chicago, IL.