Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Based in drawing and storytelling, Sokolow takes a comic book approach to her art as if pulling the pages out of the book and spreading the outrageous and complex tales across the walls of a gallery. With the Presidential election in mind, for her site-specific MATRIX project, Sokolow creates Some concerns about the candidate. Told through the eyes of a campaign worker—specifically, “you,” implicating the viewer in the story—the narrator becomes increasingly concerned about the behavior of the persuasive candidate, as well as the questionable tactics being employed by a crafty campaign consultant in order to secure a win in the upcoming U.S. Congressional election.

Sokolow’s paranoid tales are always based in well-researched facts and expanded by a wild imagination. The fictional story takes place on a campaign stop in Hartford, following in the footsteps of major political leaders like Washington, Lincoln, and Kennedy. The candidate—Jim Jones—is based on the real-life People’s Temple cult leader known for his power of manipulation over California politicians in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as mind control tactics used on his followers. Also, the fictional magician of a campaign consultant―David Copperfield―is loosely based on the real-life master illusionist. Although a commentary on politics, Some Concerns is primarily an exploration into human nature and the cult of personality.