Katonah Museum of Art’s Media Exhibition Evokes Nostalgic Images of Summer
Through October 7, summer reemerges at the Katonah Museum of Art (KMA) during its Play & Rewind: Ode to Summer on Film exhibition, which features film and video installations that evoke summer ambiences. The works of seven artists inhabit settings such as beaches, yards and fields in the Hudson Valley, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico and Europe. The artists utilize found materials, 3D, slide projection and film to construct nostalgic images that reminisce about the past. With “youth” being a predominant theme among their works, these artists further induce playfulness among the viewers by extending elements from the works, like inflatable balls and beach chairs, beyond the screen onto the gallery floor.
Turkish artist Cengiz Tekin explores the instability of the Kurdish community in Turkey by inserting humor into ordinary events that take place in his hometown. For instance, his Untitled video shows watermelons – a staple crop in Diyarbakir, Turkey – pouring out of a delivery truck and onto a village street where children frantically begin to collect the fruit before discovering that they are actually inflated balls. Gabriel, a film by abstract painter Agnes Martin, studies the blissful landscapes of Cuba, New Mexico through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy. British artist Phil Collins’ free fotolab pays homage to 35mm film with a slide projection of eighty photographs that recollect everyday occasions like celebrating with family, going to the beach and having a picnic.
KMA will offer several exhibition programs, including a video chat with Play & Rewind artists (September 27) and a discussion on Alberto Fuguet’s novel The Movies of My Life, followed by a tour of the exhibition with its curator, Olga Dekalo (October 1). For more info, visit katonahmuseum.org.
A version of this article first appeared in the September issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.
