Curated by Dan Cameron
Cory Arcangel
Frank Benson
Sanford Biggers
Robert Boyd
Stephen Dean
Tony Feher
Jennifer and Kevin McCoy
Adam McEwen
Jason Middlebrook
Aleksandra Mir
Wangechi Mutu
Paul Ramirez-Jonas
Mika Rottengerg
Hyungsub Shin
Jean Shin
Julianne Swartz
Ivan Witenstein
The exhibition, New York, Interrupted, which inaugurates the new Beijing space for pkm gallery, brings together the work of seventeen New York-based artists, all of whom are showing in Beijing for the first time.
Organized by Dan Cameron, Senior Curator at Large for the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and Curator of the 2006 Taipei Biennial, New York, Interrupted explores recent changes in the temperament of New York art. In contrast with the sweeping scale and bold intensity of the American aesthetic of the late 1990s, the works in New York, Interrupted are characterized by doubt, skepticism, and more than a touch of uncertainty regarding the future.
Many of the works in New York, Interrupted have either been created especially for the exhibition, or are being seen in public for the first time. These include Cory Arcangel's two-channel video, Sweet Sixteen; a four-channel video installation by Sanford Biggers replicating the effects of a 'disco ball' in an empty room; a site-specific installation of found materials by Tony Feher; an installation of 'mosaic' rubble by jason Middlebrook; Hyungsub Shin's fish made from recycled kitchen supplies; Julianne Swartz' ten-meter 'Music Box' sound sculpture; and a new series of watercolors by Ivan Witenstein.
Other key works in New York, Interrupted include a suite of 'dysfunctional' sculptures by Frank Benson; Robert Boyd's apocalyptic three-channel video, 'Xanadu'; Stephen Dean's film of an American demolition derby; Jennifer & Kevin McCoy cinematic 'Dream Sequence' video installation; Wangechi Mutu's haunting 'Throne' sculpture; Adam McEwen's spurious obituaries of famous people; Aleksandra Mir's disorienting photo-installation, 'Hello'; Mika Rottenberg's offbeat video-sculpture, 'Mary's Cherries'; and Jean Shin's oddly abstract wall installation of used, deconstructed military uniiforms.
The artists participating in New York, Interrupted range from artists who have had their first exhibitions in the past two years (Arcangel, Benson, Rottenberg) to artists who have been showing internationally for more than a decade (Feher, Ramirez-Jonas).
