Friday in the City: Part 3 – Leigh Bowery via Charles Atlas at Luhring Augustine

Friday in the City: Part 3 – Leigh Bowery via Charles Atlas at Luhring Augustine

And now for something completely different: Charles Atlas’ video installation featuring Leigh Bowery.  I walked into the gallery and glimpsed the giant side of a face that drew me in and terrified me at the same time.  I went back, saw the video for 30 seconds, and backed away slowly.  It might of helped if the back viewing room were larger and I could stand back far away from the safety pinned smile singing to me.  His face was about 10 feet tall.  He was making eye contact with the camera/viewer.  It was intimidating.  It was a spectacle.  It was shocking.  I got a stern look from the “gentleman” standing behind me probably because I was wearing all of that reaction on my face.  I tend to do that.  The thing is, I displaying exactly the kind of reaction the artist(s) were looking for.  I came away so relieved I giggled at myself and for the reaction my reaction earned.  I’ll admit I don’t have the kind of context or exposure to immediately recognize and understand what I had seen.  But it stuck with me.  I did some research later and what I uncovered made me more interested and glad that I had experienced this video.   This is art, folks.  It is supposed to be challenging and it’s supposed to immediately lodge itself in your mind’s eye and keep your attention.  My brain chewed and stewed on this piece more than anything else I saw that day.  It was the striking image of Leigh Bowery that was the first thing I wanted to tell my husband about when I got home. 

I like good performance and installation art more and more with every exposure.  It is liberating and immediate and challenges me to think.  It is sometimes fun and playful or dark but in all seriousness it is a message or idea delivered with particular sense of humor.  The best (and worst) part though, is that the reaction of the viewer is usually a highly calculated and manipulated elicitation through emotional psychological triggers.  Go with it and consider yourself part of the art – you are.  The performance/installation depends on your participation.  The more reaction you have and the more time afterwards you are stuck thinking, the more successful the artist.  

More: http://www.luhringaugustine.com/

Image: Charles Atlas
Teach, 1992-98
Still
Single channel video installation with sound
Duration: 7 minutes, 47 seconds