Saturday, January 11, 2020

Hank Willis Thomas @ Kayne Griffin Corcoran







In the event that it's not obvious what is happening here with these series of images, I will explain.  Each frame is taken from slightly different positions, left to right, of the same artwork.  Due to the lenticular glass used, each position both reveals and conceals a certain aspect.  This visual exchange seems well-suited to the content both as a physical experience as well as one of symbolic meaning. While physical illusions and one-liners may also court easily dismissible moments, the lasting effects are the trap at each position.  To stay put is not to fully perceive the work; to move achieves some level of totality at the expense of  time and space as simultaneously understandable and unattainable.  Funnily enough, I have tried very hard to put into words what I can not about this piece. Like the work itself, it seems impossible to grasp entirely.  To make matters worse, because this work was not part of any exhibition nor accompanied by any didactics, it defers resolution, which seems quite good, actually.

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