Joseph Nechvatal in Postflesh
Joseph Nechvatal¹s computer-robotic paintings
demonstrate new frontiers for representation of the body. Nechvatal has devised
a method for creating viral computer-robotic assisted paintings, stemming from a
computer virus program. Images of the human body are subjected to the virus, and
are radically destabilized, as Nechvatal notes: images of the flesh are undone
by viral disturbances they cannot contain even as I identify the body as a
central matrix of possibilities¹. The resulting images are beautiful and
intriguing but also thought provoking: subjected to computer manipulation, the
body takes on new forms, and becomes a site of redefinition in relation to
technological intervention.
Entering into the first decade of a new
millennium, the work in Postflesh draws attention to the social, ethical and
personal implications of a technology driven society. It also invites the viewer
to ponder on the role of artists as visionaries and observers, and the future
possibilities of artistic practice both in using and evolving technological
advancements.
-RACHEL CLARKE for
the show Post-Flesh,
University Gallery, California State University, Sacramento,
California
Back