Galleries - Chelsea
Kutlug Ataman
The star of this video installation is Stefan Naumann, a monomaniacal Berliner who shares his apartment with some thirty thousand tropical moths. Footage of Naumann describing his collection and close-ups of mounted specimens are shown on five shimmering screens hung at odd angles around the gallery. There's a feeling of eerie claustrophobia, a function not only of overcrowding and heat (the apartment's thermostat is set for the comfort of the moths) but also of the intensity of Naumann's obsession. His unchecked passion for moths - he smells them, he loves them more than anything - is deeply disturbing despite its quiet presentation. Through Oct. 30. (Lehmann Maupin, 540 W. 26th St. 212-255-2923.)