Smoke + Mirrors / Shadows + Fog

Curated by Tracy L. Adler and Mara Hoberman, the exhibition “Smoke+Mirrors/Shadows+Fog” brings together an international group of sixteen contemporary artists whose work conjures deliberate deceptions (“smoke and mirrors”) and naturally occurring illusions (“shadows and fog”). From the emergence of Chinese shadow puppetry in the second century B.C., to the ancient Roman frescoes at Pompeii’s Villa of the Mysteries, to the phantasmagorias of 18th-century France, art throughout time has attempted to trick the eye by imitating the natural world and manipulating viewer perception. Although the illusory nature of the work on view would seem to lend itself to digital special effects and other cutting-edge technologies, this selection of artists tends to prefer age-old techniques such as trompe l’oeil painting, shadow play, and mirror anamorphosis. Collectively, these artists forgo high-tech gadgetry in favor of simpler materials. Rather than embracing the virtual they flaunt materiality and artisanship and, in this way, suggest a counter trend to the increasing prevalence of computers and digital technology in the process of art making.

To create the illusions in “Smoke+Mirrors/Shadows+Fog” the artists make use of a variety nontraditional mediums smoke, light, shadow, reflection, gravity, wind, ash, water, and light refraction to produce an astonishing array of images, which range from representational landscapes and figures to abstract forms to words and phrases. Ultimately, the shadows cast, the light reflected, and the smoke captured result in a diverse sampling of unique but intrinsically related artworks that explore the limits of materiality and transform the ephemeral into substantial and lasting works of art.

ARTISTS FEATURED: Claudia Bueno, Jim Dingilian, Fred Eerdekens, Hanna von Goeler, Rebecca Hackemann, Susanne Kessler and Herbert Cybulska, Heather Lewis, Charles Matson Lume, Oscar Muñoz, Sarah Oppenheimer, Hiraki Sawa, Suzanne Song, Mary Temple, Kumi Yamashita and Bohyun Yoon.
Through 4/23