Objective:
This week we had to visit nine galleries in the Chelsea area. The majority of the work displayed was interesting, and a few stood out to me such as “For All We Know” by Oliver Jeffers. However, the most captivating exhibition was “Pure, Very, New” with work by Paul Stephen Benjamin and curated by Lisa Frieman. Overall, it was interesting to see how professional art galleries conducted exhibitions in New York as well as the different themes that were explored by the artist’s work.
Insights:
“Pure, Very, New” – Paul Stephen Benjamin – Curated by Lisa Friemann – at the Marianne Bosky Gallery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWmCbEbMmeU
Within Benjamin’s work, the audience is exposed to many different media ranging from large black paintings to fabric installation art to video installation art.
My favorite piece was the video installation entitled, “Black Is The Color.” Using clips from a live performance of the song of the same name by singer Nina Simone, the artist created a piece that exudes both emotion and beauty. The arrangement of approximately twenty television screens all playing the same video and audio created a sense of otherworldliness. The audio was layered on top of one another, in doing so, the artist created an artificial echo. It is the echo that lends itself to this feeling of otherworldliness as it turns Simone’s fragile and repeated vocals into something ethereal.
Furthermore, the arrangement of the TVs lent itself to its otherworldly quality as well. The large triangular installation was symmetrical with the larger TVs in the middle and on top and the smaller TVs on the sides. All of the wires that connected the screens to their respective power sources resembled that of the 1980s and 1990s technopunk aesthetic. With both of these points in mind, the overall appearance of the piece facilitated the otherworldly feeling as well. This is because the symmetrical, large, and almost organically connected TV installation produces a work that asks to be watched and listened to – as if it has its own consciousness that is eagerly pulling you in to watch it, hence, otherworldly.
I am very fond of video art and it is something I plan on pursuing. The ability to manipulate a piece of work on three planes (auditory, visual, physical) allows an artist the ability to explain their themes all the more clearly and complexly. I believe that Benjamin’s work does just that.
