11/19/09

KROWSWORK GALLERY - DECEMBER EXHIBITION





"SHIP TO SHIP" 3:00 - stereo - variable date - Torsten Zenas Burns
Vehicular docking & Interfacing between three residency forms.
(Yellow Immersion Suit / Manbody / Pink Computer)
(Special thanks to Michael O'Malley
for creating the sculptural pink form)

Krowswork Gallery presents: As X → ∞
Debuts Friday, December 4th as part of Oakland’s Art Murmur
Opening Reception, Saturday, December 12th, 5 to 9
480 23rd Street, between Telegraph and Broadway, in midtown Oakland

Krowswork inaugurates its program with “As X → ∞” (As X Approaches Infinity),* an exhibition of videos and photographs that explores ideas of the infinite, divinity, and the leap between reason and faith as a natural expression of the mediums themselves. Because they are “reality” based and poised at the intersection of the mechanical and the conceptual, video and photography are uniquely suited to emulate and traverse these philosophical pathways. In “As X → ∞” the artists record their specific engagement with the infinite as either direct references to spiritual or ritualized experiences, abstracted allusions to cosmic forms, or playful, elliptical manifestations of the paradox of attempting the approach at all, affirming Kierkegaard’s belief that “the only thing that can save [man] is the absurd, and this he grasps by faith.”
In the screening room, we will feature a 20-minute looped program of videos ranging from 21 seconds to 4 minutes with works by Usuna & Kristie Alshaibi, Animal Charm, Nate Boyce, Torsten Zenas Burns, Volkan Ergen, Sabine Gruffat, Kaliptus, Jason Livingston, Austin Muller, and Aaron Oldenburg. Though conceived individually, the works are curated to be seen together, presenting a complete meditation on the show’s subject. Visitors to the gallery are welcome to a cup of tea or coffee while they watch. Hundred-year-old oak pews with velvet cushions serve as seating and set the tone for a unique experience.
In the project room are an installation and video by RKDB which explore divination and ritual from the eyes of a clown-shaman. Also on view in the exhibition space is the work of five photographers: Gigi Gatewood, Adam Wier, Paula Catao, Walker Dukes, and Lauren Orchowski, whose works approach infinity from the perspective of the sacred, the profane, the fanciful, the ritualized, and the cosmic, respectively.
ARTSLANT REVIEW BY: JOSHUA HAGLER