223-225 West 10th Street – New York, New York
July 28, 2015 – August 28, 2015
To create his installation, Lehr, Sullivan employs polarizing film to create a vitrine within the already vitrine- like space of the West 10th Window. The polarizing film dramatically distorts the objects behind it: from 5 feet away, the viewer can see a warped image of the objects, but as one gets closer, the objects completely disappear. The mirrored Plexiglas floor further obscures the objects that it reflects, including Sullivan’s signature candle-smoke drawing on the ceiling. The mirrored floor gives the false impression that the vitrine extends deep into the cellar and up into higher floors, giving immense scale to the diminutive window exhibition space. The result is a complex visual space that does not respond in the way a viewer might expect; approaching the window causes the reflections to shrink and eventually disappear, rather than appear larger. Sullivan’s manipulation of materials and objects creates an unexpected and enigmatic feedback loop of visual information.
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The West 10th Street Window is curated by Natalie Diaz and Jennie Lamensdorf and is sponsored by the Time Equities Inc. (TEI) Art-in-Buildings Program. TEI is committed to enriching the experience of our properties through the Art-in-Buildings Program, an innovative approach that brings contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists to non-traditional exhibition spaces in the interest of promoting artists, expanding the audience for art, and creating a more interesting environment for our building occupants, residents, and their guests.
