P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center is pleased to present two site-specific installations by New York-based Zilvinas Kempinas (b.1969, Plunge, Lithuania). For Still (2001), Kempinas arranges strips of cut videotape to create an illusion of depth and monumentality. Through the repetition of minimal forms, inspired by the Op artists from the 1950s and 1960s, the artist transforms the material weightlessness of videotape. The parallel rows of tape seem heavy and solid as they curve towards the ground. Contrasting black tape with white walls, Kempinas addresses the visual balance between space and shape.
The simplicity of forms and the optimism embodied in 186,000 mi/s recalls the spirit of the post-World War II ZERO group. In this work, the artist affixes painted needles to a wall lit from above. Kempinas uses light as his guide: he follows the shadows cast by each needle to determine his pattern. The clear geometric configuration that emerges explores light's physicality and refractive properties.
This special project is organized by P.S.1 Associate Curator Daniel Marzona.
