STILL/MOTION: Campbell, Rodriguez, Discenza, Frank, Hundere, Jaar, Bahrs Janssen, Linder, Parazette, Swartz

The fifth in a series of thematic exhibitions investigating the current state of a particular style, subject, or medium in contemporary art, this exhibition explores the theme of movement and its cessation.

Motion is intrinsic to video-based work, while arrested motion is intrinsic to photography. But historically, traditional media have also been interpreted in terms of movement, such as the record of the artist’s gesture in bronze or paint, or the way an Op-Art painting might seem to pulse and undulate. This exhibition both draws and departs from these historical leads by examining how motion is implied, revealed, arrested, or utilized in contemporary works in a variety of media and styles.

The works in this exhibition address three areas in particular: motion stilled, stillness animated, and the simultaneity of movement and stillness. Kirsten Bahrs Janssen (San Francisco) makes interactive sculptures involving the unwinding of spools of thread, creating hypnotic patterns and colorful twisted artifacts. The abstract paintings of Houston artist Aaron Parazette simulate the effect of a dynamic foreground against a static background. Jona Frank (San Francisco) shows new video and stills depicting the poetic and repetitive stunts of skateboarders. Lordy Rodriguez’s fictionalized map drawing is based on his recent move from Texas to Los Angeles. Julianne Swartz (New York) creates magical effects with lenses, walls, and mundane materials. San Antonian Guy Hundere’s video disrupts perception through the simultaneous experience of traveling and standing still.

Other artists in the exhibition include: Jim Campbell, Anthony Discenza, Bob Linder, and Alfredo Jaar.