Jennifer Steinkamp at Lehmann Maupin
Matthew Felix-Sun
I am not a big fan of video as an art but occasionally, I would be very taken by some hypnotic video art, such as those by William Kentridge or Shirin Neshat.??
My visit to Lehmann Maupin Gallery in Chelsea, New York belonged to this selective category. ??
The time I visited the gallery, it featured videos by Jennifer Steinkamp, whose large scale of videos of ever mutating mass of plastic tubes or foliages were in turn mysterious, seductive and slightly nauseating (particularly those of the industrial scenes). The sheer size of the screen was enough to make a very strong impression and the overall effect, including the contrast between the man-made and natural world made the show more than a virtuoso display. From the first video below, which included visitors at various times, one can see the scale of the screen. From her lenses, we were granted a right to glimpse a world usually unseen and I felt that I was gazing into the mystery of the universe. Her vision was very grand indeed and he grasp of transitory beauty was breathtaking.?