Steve McQueen, the British artist and filmmaker, approaches film physically, exploring the camera as the material itself.  Yet, at the same time, he shoots the world as it exists, in front of our eyes.  Mediated/unmediated.

On view is “Giardini,” created in 2009 for the Venice Biennale.  It is a thirty-minute projection on two screens, lined up side by side.  The film records the Venice Biennale pavilions in between exhibitions, when the site is empty and given over to the elements of the wild.  Close-ups of insects and flowers are followed by images of feral dogs trying to find something to eat, or just wandering around amongst the pavilions.  It is night—deep and blue—and the place becomes a trysting ground for lovers. The projection is silent at first, but after a few minutes sounds emerge.  The noise made by dogs digging through garbage and rain falling down turns symphonic. Poetic passages feature little creatures, such as a snail, details of moss on trees, or a landscape mirrored in a raindrop. The macroscopic bombast of the artworld  is reduced to the microcosm. Between shows at the biggest art venue in the world, life crawls into holes and awaits spring.  “Giardini” records an urban four seasons.

Another featured new work is “Static,” made especially for this exhibition.  Filmed from a helicopter at incredibly close range is the Statue of Liberty.  The camera constantly shakes and jumps.  Sometimes the statue disappears and pops up in a different part of the screen, the displacement caused by the movement of the helicopter.  Compiled from several flights, “Static” is therefore anything but.  Lights and shadows are constantly changing and disorientation is accompanied by the distressing sounds of a helicopter.  Caution:   prolonged viewing may cause dizziness.  The audience leaves with the experience of a world and an emblem—of welcome and freedom—teetering on the edge.

Lenka Curtain