James Nares: "STREET" (2012) from Paul Kasmin Gallery on Vimeo.
Most of the time, I cut contemporary artists some slack. In
these modern times, with memes being created within minutes of a cultural
event, it can be tough to come up with a unique vision, angle or execution. I
may not love a photograph, sculpture or painting, but I can appreciate the
effort.
One area, however, I don’t have any patience for is
contemporary video installations. Most are just plain bad. “This is a 48-hour
video of a field. It is the literal representation of grass growing.” Or
something just as boring, half-assed and pretentious.
So I was impressed when I saw James Nares, Street, recently at the STL Art Museum.
It’s a 61-minute film of people of all ages, races, shapes and sizes on the
streets of NYC going about their daily lives in super slow motion with an eclectic
musical sound track. It’s mesmerizing and holds surprises around every corner.
There’s humor and pathos and emotion and a meditative aspect that’s just simply
sublime.
As usual, it’s free. Just go up the stairs in the East wing.
Here is the info:
