October 01, 2010

ARTnews review: "The Machine Eats"

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ARTnews Magazine: October 2010 Edition

"reviews: new york ; ‘The Machine Eats’"

Frederico Seve Gallery/latincollector

This exhibition of works by 17 artists presented multiples in an intriguing variety of mediums. The “hybridized multiples,” as the gallery dubbed them, encouraged a free exchange of ideas whereby whoever installed each peace was, in effect, participating in its creation. Sylvie Ruaulx and Christophe Cuzin of France’s artist outpost Chateau de Kerpaul contributed white plastic suitcases with their work inside. As with Duchamp’s Box in a Valise, these objects (both 2007) are intended for travel. Ruaulx’s case contains colored metal sheets, with decorative die-cut designs, that can be stacked, hung, viewed as rows of text, or propped up atop one another. Cuzin’s case, identical to Ruaulx’s, contains a plastic bag filled with orange paint and a mini paint roller.

Other standout works in this crowded and compelling show included Redes and s ku ltura (both 2010) by Ana de la Cueva. s ku ltura is a randomly tangled, beautiful clump of fishing net displayed in a vitrine set on a white box that protrudes from the wall. In Redes, the colorful net is shown in close-up photographic form. De la Cueva’s duet tweaks our perceptions through a thoughtful alchemy. On the floor in the corner was Peter Soriano’s Other Side Remix 1 (2010), an attention-grabbing video work consisting of a laptop showing an unmoving shot of a red arrow spray painted onto the artist’s studio wall and, hung low to the ground next to the computer, a printed image of similar red spray-painted lines. Soriano’s audio track wittily contains footsteps and ambient studio noise that is constant but almost imperceptible.

- Doug McClemont

Photo caption: Peter Soriano, Other Side Remix 1, 2010, DVD containing instructions for video installation with printable material, dimensions variable. Frederico Seve Gallery/latincollector.

ARTnews Volume 109/Number 9