Simply Memory

Brilliant prints made in the dark

Because many artists’ statements are up to there in mumbo-jumbo, I have an ongoing file called “Overblown Terminology & Outrageous Exaggerations: Inside the Contemporary Art Show Title and Artist Statement,” which I add to weekly. But sometimes, as with John Divola’s “Dogs Chasing My Car in the Desert” (which showed at Gallery 110 this year), simplicity is hilariously beautiful. And sometimes the statement not only explains the work, but it shares interesting parts of the creative process. Thus Hart Boyd describes his stunning “Selected Analogue Works 2004–2007,” now seen at Joe Bar: “These pieces are created through a darkroom light exposure process. . . . No negatives are used in their production and all of the images are created in total darkness. Thus everything is made without visual stimulus, but rather from memory or stimuli of the other senses. . . . Because of the natural human process of associative thinking, the viewer can’t help but try and understand and interpret these images into objects that are familiar. As this happens, it’s important to remember that what is being seen is purely an aesthetic of light.” The fact is, they’re so gorgeous, viewers may feel that it’s actually much more.

Wed., Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m., 2007