Last weekend I had the fortunate pleasure of taking a trip to PS 1 in Long Island City. I was initially aiming for the Brooklyn Museum, but didn't make it quite that far, which was just as well, because I LOVED it there. Upon entering and walking around I was a bit disconcerted, The way the sound from some various installations interacted as you walked through the dimly lit and somewhat dingy hallways gave the center a bit of a fun house feel. And after passing by the elevators open doors and seeing the neon light tubes lining the ceiling I really felt like I was in a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie. I have to admit, for the first hour of the three I was there I didn't really care for the place, the ultra different elements of each artwork interspersed within a relatively small space and the way certain parts of the 'unfinished' decor competed many times with the artwork, really put me off. But by the end of my visit there, I was, really into it.
A few things I particularly liked:
Leandro Erlich's 'Swimming Pool' installation, complete with wooden deck. - I love the idea of weightlessness and movement especially in an installation, so when I was able to walk under the water and look up at it, I was tickled pink. It's a great experiences for the viewer.
Gino De Dominicis ethereal and otherworldy 'alien' people. At first simply neat and shiny, after walking through the exhibit you start to get a sense that Dominicis didn't merely 'depict' aspects taht harken to otherworldiness, but that he seemlessly creates an otherworld all his own, and you can't help but get enraptured by it.
Olafur Eliasson's rotating mirror is great. After finding a comfortable position on the floor I laid myself down and staired up, watching as the giant rotating mirror changed the form and size of my body. Very cool stuff.
Borre Seathre' Again, at first, the white light bars, lazer gun sounds, and mini digital tv sets act like a repellent more than a magnet. Further into the installation the gold reflective wall tilies and phallic representations make you ask yourself why you didn't just follow your initial impulses and leave the installation in the first place. But if you can stomach the disjointed installations that precede it, the final room makes the journey all worth it. I don't want to give it away, but it's seriously one of the most awe inspiring single peices of an installation I've ever seen. If you like fantasy and Damian Hirst 'esqe' types of things. This piece alone is worth the trip.
The only three things I didn't really care for were the Minus Space exhibit and Yael Bartana's work and the James Turrell peice.
The 'minus space' exhibit is a snooze, unless your into vivid minimalist inspired works, chances are your going to find the rusty pipes, intricately cracked floors, and dust covered grates and vents of the room more interesting to look at than the works contained within it. Yael Bartana's work reads more interesting on the introductory information sheet before you see it, than when you acutally watch or listen to it. And don't wait for the James Turrell showing unless you have a lot of time to kill...and a jacket. :-)
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