Here’s an announcement from VCS students Eden Caine and Serena Wang about “Body Without Organs,” an upcoming group exhibition they’ve curated at Millennium Film Workshop in Brooklyn.
Millennium Film Workshop Presents 'Body Without Organs' - A Group Exhibition for Art in Brooklyn, New York
MILLENNIUM FILM WORKSHOP presents 'Body Without Organs,' a group exhibition curated by Eden Caine and Serena Hanzhi Wang in Brooklyn, New York. The ‘Body Without Organs’ exhibition serves to represent the fragmentation of human physicality and society through disorientation and abstraction set in the mold of surrealist artworks collected from 13 artists working across mediums. Based on the concept by French philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, Body Without Organs functions as the remedy par excellence for the falsehoods of reality.
Opening Reception: Saturday, December 2nd, 6-9 pm
Display dates: December 2nd - December 16th, 2023
Location: MILLENNIUM FILM WORKSHOP, 167 Wilson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Featured Artists:
ADEN HARDIN presents a painting of legs in motion. Her work thinks of the body as a flow of desires, unrestricted by organized structures. Hardin’s work is a vivid representation of the essence of a body in a state of constant transformation.
CHRISTINA BOTHWELL, a master sculptor in cast-glass techniques, creates a work featuring a girl's leg adorned with a ballet tutu. The translucent, milky tones of the glass medium invite viewers to contemplate the fragility of the human form; the unique intensity that individual parts express.
EDEN CANE, her sculptures are mostly made from silicone and fabric, featuring a bold open cut. Inside the wound reveals veins and muscles. The variegated, bloody hues invite contemplation of the body's desire for change also longing for death.
ERICA SCHREINER, a video and performance artist, uses her body as a canvas for exploration and transformation, resonating with Deleuze's "BwO." Her self-directed work, filmed on VHS cameras, delves into themes of mortality, isolation, and disorders.
JESSIE SOOS makes an illustration within a handmade frame, invoking a sense of the otherworldly. The artwork, with its ambiguous resemblance to a human body or creature, challenges the boundaries of traditional human form.
MALENA DEL PINO creates a colossal collage, The audacious and raw imagery challenges conventional norms. Del Pino's creation delves into the visceral and instinctual aspects of human existence, inviting viewers to confront the raw, unfiltered essence of the body.
LIEV SIBILLA, primarily a sculptor, seamlessly blends prehistoric relics with post-apocalyptic aesthetics. His sculptures reflect how historical and cultural forces shape our understanding of the body. Sibilla's art speaks to beauty and grief in the new century, asking people to consider the body's potential for transformation and its role in conveying changing narratives.
QINRU ZHANG, a Multimedia artist, presents the short film "HomeCore," a VR animation exploring the eerie nostalgia of home intimacy. The film depicts a dystopian and abstract home, with an all around shiny texture reminiscent of the inside of the body. This piece aligns with one of the key ideas of 'BwO'—that no single organ produces anything; rather, any productions are collectively generated by the entire environment.
SERENA HANZHI WANG presents a diamond painting that depicts medical images of hammer toe surgery. The medium creates an intriguing effect, resembling a real photo from afar, but revealing diamonds and empty spots upon closer inspection. Wang has been exploring the theme of brokenness, questioning the illusionary promises of control over beauty or health. The broken toe serves as a metaphor for the larger 'dysfunction' prevalent in both the human body and society.
TIZZI TAN, primarily a photographer, challenges societal expectations regarding women's bodies in her work "Fitment." Through a video documenting the fitting of various bras, Tan prompts viewers to question the societal norms dictating women's appearances. In the context of "BwO," the constraints imposed by society and the pursuit of liberation are vividly portrayed in the very act of trying and failing.
YANYAN ZHAO, In her series of photographs, delicately explores themes of intimacy and vulnerability. The absence of facial features in the portraits, coupled with moments of subtle sensual suggestion, invites contemplation on the complex emotions within identity and self-expression.
YUMING ZHANG presents a series of photo and video installations that serve as a reflective documentation of the artist's dark, though occasionally euphoric, history of self-inflicted harm. This visceral exploration of personal struggles contributes to the broader conversation on the body without organs, shedding light on the intricate relationship between pain, resilience, and the quest for identity.
YUCHENG LIAO presents a video projection piece where people's eyes are projected onto a transparent surface, hanging underneath the ceiling. This immersive installation prompts reflection on the interconnectedness of individual perspectives, blurring the boundaries between observer and observed.
'Body Without Organs' is a visual journey into the depths of human existence and artistic expression. We hope the show invites viewers to reconsider our understanding of what the human body can do; contemplate the ever-evolving nature of the human form and the complex interplay of bodies and environment through an abstract and disorienting lens.
For more information please visit Millennium Film Workshop.
Millennium Film Workshop is a renowned platform dedicated to the promotion of avant-garde and experimental film and visual arts. With a history spanning 57 years, Millennium Film Workshop continues to be a hub for emerging and established artists, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Eden Caine - (310)-713-2340 - edencaine@gmail.com
Serena Hanzhi Wang -(646)-732-8718 - hwang30@sva.edu