Art Hag

Luhring Augustine currently has on view the hypnotic and hallucinatory Heroes Of Birth by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist. The exhibition includes two new video installations and one video sculpture.

Entering the gallery you are greeted by All or Nothing (2010) a trio of small LCD screens mounted on the wall above a table bearing offerings for visitors such as flowers, apples, and water. The screens show assorted body parts, in trippy colors and patterns, writhe and "ripple in rhythmic motion" (from the press release).

In the main space is Layers Mama Layers (2010), a room-filling piece consisting of five rows of sheer curtains hanging in darkness from ceiling to floor which, along with the bodies walking through them, act as the screens for the artist's "multiple video projections." On the wispy curtains, hazy, dreamlike images of sheep running and grazing on grassy fields are projected alongside floaty, swirly, flashing, expanding rings and spirals. All this is accompanied by a creepy, twangy music box tune creating an overall haunting, surreal, and mesmerizing vibe.

In the back room hangs Rist's Massachussetts Chandelier (2010), a voluminous chandelier created with underpants the artist collected from her family and friends. Soft lights glow from within the chandelier whilst colorful video projections play on its surface - somewhat resembling the effects of a lava lamp. Oddly beautiful—the underpants are mercifully stain-free—the piece exudes a sort of cheeky reverence.

Heroes of Birth is a captivating, dreamlike, immersive experience. Check it out before it closes October 16th. Learn more at Luhringaugustine.com and at the artist's website Pipilottirist.net.

All or Nothing, 2010