Tait
dal 20/3/2008 al 19/4/2008
Segnalato da
20/3/2008
Tait
De Soto gallery, Los Angeles
It's About Time. The exhibition presents a new series of sculptural installations and video. Each piece functions as a record of events, like a unit of measurement representing man-hours expended. This framework for mapping time is informed by aspects of popular culture.
De Soto Gallery is very pleased to present a new series of sculptural installations
and video by Tait in his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles “It’s About Time”.
On the largest wall in the gallery, a pair of giant camouflage shorts, 12 feet high,
are pinned to the surface like a specimen. To its side, 250 animation cells used in
the creation of a time lapse movie are carefully laid out frame by frame. Behind
that, a fleet of 100 marching car/baby hybrids are lined up in file.
This and other items are part of an unusual collection of objects that Tait presents
as a labyrinthine system for timekeeping. Each piece functions as a record of
events, like a unit of measurement representing man-hours expended. This framework
for mapping time (along with an emphasis on size and numbers) is informed by aspects
of popular culture. Tait’s focus on labor-intensive processes and his fixation with
calculations is offset by whimsical humor, puns and witticisms. “It’s About Time”
is an invitation to “serious play” about our physical and psychological
relationships to time and space and the constructs we use to make sense (or
nonsense) of
it all.
This question of time, the idea of it being illusory and infinitely complex, is part
and parcel of Tait’s methodology for investigating memory and perception. The
directness of straightforward object-making is partly an attempt to make something
concrete and measurable. It is also an effort to be accessible and a reaction to
heavy conceptual work that seems so prevalent in art lately.
The basic components Tait uses are common (cars, clothes, books, etc) but they take
on multiple meanings as they are multilayered. To that effect, they function like
riddles. Both My Baby (the fleet of cars) and Living Large (the camo shorts) hint at
range of subjects from the sensational aspects of advertising and consumer culture
to brand identification, and even the recent pervasiveness of the military. Another
piece, a silver plated prescription bottle and pills entitled Charmiceuticals is a
cryptographic play on words and a comment on the increasingly widespread use of
prescription medications.
Tait lives and works in Los Angeles. He will be present for the opening reception.
His work has been exhibited at numerous art fairs including Scope Miami 2006, Scope
New York 2006, and Art LA 2006. He received his B.S. in Painting from Oregon State
University.
Opening reception Friday, March 21, 6 to 8 pm
De Soto gallery
108 W 2nd St. - Los Angeles
Gallery hours are Wednesday thru Saturday, noon to 5pm, and by appointment
Free admission