Consisting of eight works by American artist, Doug Aitken, “100 Yrs” is proof that this is one artist that is not afraid to make a stir in the art world. A crater excavated in the middle of the concrete floor, large holes in the gallery walls, dripping liquids of unidentified substances, rubbles, cracks, crashed mirrors, flashing neon. Aitken has managed to transform the once-minimalist interior of the gallery into a post apocalyptic landscape.
The most prominent piece is “Sunset (black)”, a sculpture that resembles cast lava rock reading the words “SUNSET, which bears down on the viewer whilst, from behind, lights allow the leak of light to creep out. Directly in front lies “Sonic Fountain”, a piece that is as unsettling as it is hypnotic. Fluid drips and drops from pipes installed in the ceiling, filling the pool on the floor below with a murky substance. Its rhythm sets the muddy water into vibration, with the sounds beginning to resemble abstract sounds found in electronic music. Next to it, the leftover debris have been collected and formed as a sort of mound-sculpture, with a flashing light box blurring the lines of the works title, “Not Enough Time in The Day”. The next piece shows the word “Art” made out of Plexiglas, with a bubbling brown liquid that is neither chocolate nor mud, seen pouring all over and around it for “Fountain (Earth Fountain)”. And finally, the three-dimensional work titled “More” that is made from smashed mirrors is deformed and broken, a clean cut contrast between the other works present in the room.
Dim interior, reflections, hypnotic sounds, and mysterious liquids give a mesmerizing vibe to the exhibition. Mystic, bordering on elegiac. Aitken’s exposing and stripping back of the work to its basic elements could be seen as a commentary on the conditions where art world meets the world of nature and encourages the viewer to question whether their coexistence nowadays is, in fact, possible at all. Aitken’s pieces play with their raw form and austerity, whilst at the same time conceal a poetic finesse, managing to create the perfect balance between static and kinetic elements, minimal and pop aesthetics, shadow and light.
Text by Weronika Trojanska
Doug Aitken 100 Yrs 303 Gallery, New York Until March 23rd 2013