Remember in Willy Wonka when Mike Teavee shrinks and they have to take him to the taffy puller in order to make him boy-size again? German Pop Artist Thomas Bayrle's exhibit at Gavin Brown Enterprise is what I imagine it was like for Mike Teavee and the Oompa Loompas. I'm talking more about the creepy Johnny Depp Wonka, and less the endearing Gene Wilder version.
For the show, photographs printed on latex were hand-pulled and stretched over a photocopier, creating warped, space-like images. Several pairs of hands together made this body of work. You can see the fingers of the artist and his assistants pulling and holding the prints, their fingertips illuminated by the light of the photocopier. The negative space in the background becomes a psychedelic void not unlike the tunnel that Wonka and his guests ride through. Each image is pulled in a thousand different ways, creating different moods and movement in each print.
To add to the trippy vibe, Bayrle has put a working V8 engine in the center of the room titled Big Block. Speakers from within mimic the sound of the engine roar as it starts up and projects the sounds of hymnal prayers echoing around the gallery space. The working rhythm of the engine emulates the beating of the heart, and the monotony of moving parts triggers the chanting to begin. It is powerful, thought provoking, and slightly unsettling––and it's well worth the visit.
Through October 27, 2012.
GAVIN BROWN'S ENTERPRISE
137 Leroy Street
NY 10014
Map
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For the show, photographs printed on latex were hand-pulled and stretched over a photocopier, creating warped, space-like images. Several pairs of hands together made this body of work. You can see the fingers of the artist and his assistants pulling and holding the prints, their fingertips illuminated by the light of the photocopier. The negative space in the background becomes a psychedelic void not unlike the tunnel that Wonka and his guests ride through. Each image is pulled in a thousand different ways, creating different moods and movement in each print.
To add to the trippy vibe, Bayrle has put a working V8 engine in the center of the room titled Big Block. Speakers from within mimic the sound of the engine roar as it starts up and projects the sounds of hymnal prayers echoing around the gallery space. The working rhythm of the engine emulates the beating of the heart, and the monotony of moving parts triggers the chanting to begin. It is powerful, thought provoking, and slightly unsettling––and it's well worth the visit.
Through October 27, 2012.
GAVIN BROWN'S ENTERPRISE
137 Leroy Street
NY 10014
Map
