Review of "The Inflorescence of the Sparkling Evil" by Jessie Mac
The Inflorescence of the Sparkling Evil
“The Inflorescence of the Sparkling Evil” transcended primitive desires and needs through technological mediums including video-art-sculptures and graphic design. With these technological inventions human emotion becomes further removed from the physical, and rather, is expressed through the intangible screen. Evils and horrors in a post-modern society are rarely expressed in daily life, though the primitive feeling that lashes out against an oppressive society is celebrated when watching films that speak of fragmentation and alienation. Katie Torn’s exhibition brings a sparkling light to our generation’s tragic situation, and reminds us that we can still use the technological form to our advantage as well as our demise.
“Make Me Gaga” is a video art piece meets performance contrived of a fragmented spectrum which kaleidoscopes as the viewer is hypnotized by images of Gaga. The artist himself comes closer to looking like Lady Gaga in this psychedelic exploration of kaleidoscopic vision. Alexcalibur’s subversion and deconstruction of dualities causes us to subjectively question what it means to be a human being in 2011. The evocative performance piece brings to focus a spirit of negativity and brings to light the lust for destruction as a modern collective consciousness. Nothing is what it seems in the performance- it is a work of espionage. His mastery of deceptive appearances is therefore mastery of the deconstruction of dualities that allows us to question ourselves as agents in a technologically based society.
Our lust and love for destruction and the rejection of the idea of a modern collective consciousness is portrayed when we watch the undressing of a seven-foot-man as he sacrifices himself to becoming Gaga. The perversion of human nature is truly explored. With Alexcalibur’s exit, we collectively speak against these perversions of wanting to become what is asked of us, but his mastery of performance art pulls out the conforming and adulterated nature in us all.
A video art piece titled Love Puddles by artists Mike Mallis and Mike McParlane seems to speak of a similarly disheartening situation. Eerie sounds are projected throughout Tribes gallery, and the solitude of the sound is as haunting as a scream. If this video had dialogue it would say, “I want to strip everything away down to the bare soul and then all that would be left is a black wobbly sphere that gravitates towards things because its frightened to be seen so it hides behind skin and hair and makeup and clothes and people and society and earth and sky and culture and then when its released back into the celestial universe it has the best time.” And though all we have to listen to is a haunting audio track of white noise, we are left with a beautifully aesthetic array of colors and visuals that leaves an impression on our memories for days after the opening.
Works in the collection are a result of the absurd. Living in a disenchanted world and disassociating oneself from the constructs of post-modern society is impossible and so the artists are left with only the ability to comment on the absurd. As we are forced to become a part of the network that is constructed from the intangible, we must laugh at it before we hysterically cry.
To orchestrate a show that manifests works of the grotesque is a divine act. It displays some of the most inspiring video art I have seen, all of which illuminate the spirit of the decayed. The video screens dazzle the audience, and declare the death and decay of the tangible as a birthing of the enchanted. Katie Torn uses her bewitchery to summon a group of artists who all successfully execute the notion of a collective consciousness that is infatuated with cultural decadence. Enter the gallery to indulge in your most heinous and demonic aspiration of becoming Gaga. Stumble out of the show soulless, hallow, covered in glitter and utterly impressed.
The video screens dazzle the audience, and declare the death and decay of the tangible as a birthing of the enchanted. Katie Torn uses her bewitchery to summon a group of artists who all successfully execute the notion of a collective consciousness that is infatuated with cultural decadence.