Review | Strange Loops
Review | Strange Loops
Artspace New Haven
Through February 29
Kelly Daniels
In the group exhibition, Strange Loops, at Artspace, New Haven artists explore the effects of technological growth on the human condition, as it connects to two specific social theories: one proposed by Emile Durkheim and the other by Douglas Hofstadter. Durkheim’s theory centers on the endless loop that is human desire—the more humans desire, the more they cannot be satisfied, and the more the desire intensifies. Hofstadter similarly suggests that self-actualization is a necessary and powerful motivator in human survival.
This endless cycle of attempts toward self-actualization—and the technology that has emerged in an attempt to satisfy this desire—is the unifying theme presented by this collection of works curated by Johannes DeYoung and Federico Solmi on view through February 29.
Installation view, Strange Loops. February 2020. Photo credit: Jessica Smolinski.
For the most part, each artist is granted their own room or section of a room, the separation allowing visitors to cleanse their visual palates before moving on to the next work. Visitors consider the plethora of perspectives presented throughout this exhibition while remaining mindful and conscious of the unifying theme. While the layout is effective, the lack of wall text is less than ideal, in some cases leaving more questions than answers for the most perplexing works In an exhibition with such a complex narrative, brief blurbs would have added some needed clarity and cohesion to the viewer’s experience.
Painter Sam Messer is featured prominently in this exhibition, with two of his typewriter paintings and one typewriter sculpture lining adjacent walls of the gallery. His paintings are particularly striking, not only due to their impressive size (the larger of the two is 54” x 170”) but also because of the vibrant colors and the unique, three-dimensional technique that Messer employs.
In both of his oil paintings, a sense of freedom is evident in his style; these are not paintings in which every stroke is meticulously planned and executed to perfection. The strokes are clearly visible in the work, overlapping and appearing haphazard, and many of the letters and symbols painted onto the keys of the typewriter are imperfect and faded. Messer lets the paint drip and dry, giving the impression that the colors are literally oozing off of the canvas.
Installation view, Strange Loops. February 2020. Photo credit: Jessica Smolinski.
An incredible amount of texture in the piece—entire globs of paint protruding from the canvas in countless places—evokes a visceral reaction that tempts the viewer to touch the work, and examine it as closely as possible. The largest of the paintings, entitled Thin Realm (for Jake Berthot) (2016), initially appears to focus solely on a typewriter, but, upon closer inspection, it is clear that there is an underlying meaning to the work. Behind the typewriter, the viewer gets a glimpse of an expansive city, complete with skyscrapers, cars, apartments, and people.
Sam Messer, Thin Realm (for Jake Berthot) (2016).
This vista is especially noticeable on the right side of the canvas, on the few inches that extend out beyond the side of the typewriter. On the left side, however, Messer has painted a number of tall trees, accentuated against a hazy sky. This transition from a more natural scene to an industrial one exemplifies the exhibition’s theme of the interaction between technology and humans. With the typewriter overlaid across the images, Messer appears to suggest that writing helps to bridge this transition. The drive for constant achievement that Durkheim proposed is evident in the changing landscape, as this piece highlights human attempts at betterment through urbanization. Overall, with the piece’s subtle intricacies, the gorgeously rendered subject matter captivates visitors.
Installation view, Strange Loops. February 2020. Photo credit: Jessica Smolinski.
Another particularly evocative piece is Ana Maria Gómez López’ Punctum (2017). A pair of photographs depict a literal human loop: a person simultaneously gives and receives the same blood with each end of the tube inserted into their arms at a different location. The first picture shows only one hand with one tube attached to it, forming a neat coil, while the next picture presents two hands, with about five tubes connected to each, jumbled together as if a string of Christmas lights.
The photographs are unsettling and shocking thanks to the subject matter and the sharp contrast between the red blood and the white background. The work effectively catches and holds one’s attention, portraying the use of newer technology—in this case, medical care—to better oneself, personifying the struggle for self-actualization proposed by Hofstadter, while also emphasizing the paradox proposed by Durkheim’s theory of unfulfilled desires. This theme, in combination with the mental discomfort these images produce, leaves viewers with a distinct sense of foreboding.
Installation view, Strange Loops. February 2020. Photo credit: Jessica Smolinski.
A third work that emphasizes the show’s theme is Jon Kessler’s It Takes a Global Idiot (2018). This sculpture consists of four identical mannequins with large gray beards obscuring their faces and matching gray buns on their heads. Each mannequin dons a dark tracksuit, and their bright blue Calvin Klein underwear is on prominent display. The figures appear to contort themselves into various positions, and they point their index fingers in contrasting directions. Their bodies form the shape of a vague circle as if to suggest that the mannequin is caught in an endless loop of reaching and falling, striving for his goals but never quite achieving them in a physical representation of humanity’s endless quest for self-actualization.
Unlike other pieces in the exhibition, the interaction of technology with the subject seems to be lacking. This work feels somewhat disjointed from the rest, producing a sense of bewilderment more than anything else.
Installation view, Strange Loops. February 2020. Photo credit: Jessica Smolinski.
Strange Loops effectively portrays the themes of human desire for self-actualization and the endless loop that results from trying to achieve this, while also introducing the element of technology into the majority of the pieces on display. This eclectic selection of work demonstrates the pervasiveness of Durkheim and Hofstadter’s theories in so many aspects of life. Each of the pieces in this exhibition provokes an almost innate reaction, tempting museum-goers to touch, interact with, and explore the works as closely as possible.
I found myself circling Kessler’s strangely fascinating sculpture, taking in each doll from every angle. I couldn’t help but inch closer and closer to Messer’s painting, inspecting it from each side to appreciate the protruding paint and the subtle imagery. I was unable to look away from Lopez’s perturbing portraits, despite my discomfort.
Herein lies one of the truly remarkable aspects of this exhibition—that each piece inherently prompts further exploration and encourages interaction between the spectators and the works. It is through this interaction that each visitor is able to get close enough to the works to appreciate the theme that unites them. In creating an exhibition that so intimately involves its visitors, the curators are able to produce not just a thought-provoking presentation, but a meaningful experience for all who enter the gallery.
Kelly Daniels
Kelly Daniels is a second-year forensic psychology student at the University of New Haven. Originally from Arcadia, a suburb of Los Angeles, Kelly is a native Californian who enjoys traveling, reading, and all forms of puzzles. At UNH, Kelly is involved in a variety of on-campus organizations, including the sorority Chi Kappa Rho, the American Criminal Justice Association (Lambda Alpha Epsilon-Psi Omega), the Honors Program, and Alpha Lambda Delta, the national honors society. This is her second year holding a position on hall council; she currently serves as the Public Relations Chair of Winchester and Dunham Halls and was previously the Westside Hall 3rd Floor Representative. During the summers, Kelly works at Universal Studios Hollywood in the Wizarding World, where she is able to combine her love for all things Harry Potter with her interests as a psychology major. She enjoys interacting with people from diverse walks of life while finding opportunities to practice her French. During high school, Kelly was heavily involved in the theatre program, performing in large and small productions, as well as the bi-annual statewide theatre competition, DTASC, where she was awarded 2nd place overall in the Monologue category (2017), 2nd place in the Large Group Drama category (“A Piece of My Heart,” 2016), and 2nd place in Shakespeare DTASC’s Breeches category (“As You Like It,” 2018). Upon receiving her Bachelor’s Degree, Kelly plans to return to the west coast to pursue a graduate degree and continue her studies in the fields of forensic psychology and criminal justice.
