Michael Joo

Opening Friday, January 17, 1997, Anton Kern Gallery will present two new sculptural works by Michael Joo.

In his fourth solo exhibition in New York, Joo continues his explorations of energy and physicality. Drawing from past work on caloric calculations of energy and video performances referencing transcendental states, the new works address the idea of the fleeting nature of all things physical.

Expressing the desire to make the invisible visible, Joo uses laser beams deflected by small mirrors to simulate the children´s string game of "cat´s cradle". Stretched out over the expanse of the space, the pattern of the beams is only discernable through blasts of mist emanating from the aluminum bridge which frames the work.

In another piece, the artist contains a volume of simulated smoke using only forced air. Covering an entire wall of the gallery, this "plane of smoke" will act as a screen for alternating projections of light and image.

The creative act and nature of the gesture are important concerns in Joo´s work. Joo uses an elaborate technical apparatus to achieve an overwhelming sense of visual simplicity while contorting the viewer´s notion of the confines of space. This sudden yet fleeting experience of encountering the work echoes the physical fact of matter coming together to form a whole, thereby questioning our preconceived notions of transcendence.

The exhibition will run through February 28th