Gavin Brown's Enterprise presents a solo exhibition of Thomas Bayrle, Complete Films 1979-2007 which showcases Bayrle's paintings, films, and objects. Along with
larger-than-human scale paintings on the long wall, digitally intervened video is
projected. On another wall, two 16mm projectors run next to each other.
Sketches and studies are displayed separately on a table.
Bayrle's images seem like intricately
woven patterns of micro images that generate macro pictures. They resemble organisms made of cells in that digital images are made of pixels. When a single cell starts
reproducing itself, it may begin to help shape into a whole creature. Similar reproductive structures are similar in the digital
world. One pixel is practically nothing,
but when many of them are together, i forms a visible and coherent image. Bayrle’s background
in textile weaving is reflected in his interest in grids and patterns. Bayrle’s films “[make] and [unmake] of
totalities out of individual bits woven together.”
Bayrle’s recent
body of works, the Caravaggio Series, both celebrates and alerts viewers to today’s hypercommunication and mass society. In the work, iPhones form a
larger overall picture that reveals the figure in the painting. The stream of his artistic vision manifests in his visual style.
Work Cited
"Thomas Bayrle at Gavin Brown's Enterprise." Art Viewer. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Work Cited
"Thomas Bayrle at Gavin Brown's Enterprise." Art Viewer. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Very good review！Your description of this show is very accurate. I think Thomas Bayrle’s work has very critical standpoint. Under the beautiful and dazzle images there are more feelings of alienation in contemporary society. Maybe you should talk more about his projection works which may show audiences some different aspects of Bayrle’s works. We can see every element in his works is elaborately planned and also very meaningful. So the interpretation of symbolic figures are very important to understand his works. In the Caravaggio Series, I think you can add some words about why he chose these iconic paintings.
ReplyDeleteI loved the second paragraph of the review, particularly your relation of digital images/textiles/cell reproduction. I do think you could use more particular descriptions. While you give us an idea of how the show is exhibited, It’s unclear what exactly his paintings are, or what his “digitally comprised video” is. It’s also rather vague what the Caravaggio Series looks like, and therefore unclear what the “collective of iPhones” is. The final sentence too could be more specific and relate back to the arguments you present in paragraph 2 and 3, rather than bringing up his “artistic vision.”
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