MOVING ART: Whitney to Present Rachel Rose in "Everything and More"
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Rachel Rose
RACHEL ROSE: EVERYTHING AND MORE TO OPEN OCTOBER 30
NEW YORK, September 9, 2015—This fall, New York–based artist Rachel Rose will receive her first solo show in the United States, presenting her video installation, Everything and More, in the Whitney’s fifth-floor George and Mariana Kaufman - Kaufman Astoria Studios gallery. Based on interviews Rose conducted with NASA astronaut David Wolf, the artist created a video that describes human perception in the extreme environment of outer space. For Rose, it is important to recognize that the infinite expanse of the cosmos can only be understood through the limited capacities of the human mind and body. In addition, Rose has installed the work in a specially prepared gallery, which balances the luminosity of the video projector and the amount of ambient light, in order to make the viewer conscious of his or her own act of looking. The exhibition is organized by associate curator Christopher Y. Lew and is part of the Whitney’s series of exhibitions by emerging artists.
Rachel Rose (b. 1986) investigates how meaning can be constructed through the interaction of moving images, sound, and light within nuanced physical environments. In Everything and More, David Wolf explains how his body felt in zero gravity and how he perceived light, color, touch, and smell during his time aboard the Mir Space Station from September 1997 through January 1998. Wolf’s narration is set in contrast to a diverse range of sound and imagery, all of which has been manipulated by Rose to evoke the astronaut’s physical experience in space. Rose isolated fragments of a lyric-less song sung by Aretha Franklin, which were distorted and filtered to serve as an emotional counterpoint to Wolf’s composed account of events. Additionally, disparate images—including footage from electronic dance music (EDM) concerts as well as abstractions created by mixing oils, food dyes, and other products—are montaged to produce alternating feelings of contemplation and ecstasy. Through the use of special films and semi-transparent scrims, Rose brings this myriad content into dialogue with the urban environment visible through the gallery’s windows, creating an awareness of one’s own experience of perception.
Rose’s artistic practice is centered on long-term research in which she gathers various themes to synthesize into new works. Past videos have investigated climate change and Modernist architecture (A Minute Ago, 2014); New York’s Palisades region and the site’s role throughout history (Palisades in Palisades, 2014); and also connections between robotics, mortality, and zoos (Sitting Feeding Sleeping, 2013). Rose’s work has been exhibited at numerous galleries and institutions including Sculpture Center (New York); CCS Bard Hessel Museum of Art (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; and Pilar Corrias (London). She was also featured in the 2014 Taipei Biennial. Forthcoming solo exhibitions will be at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery, London (October 1–November 8, 2015); Castello di Rivoli, Turin; and the Aspen Art Museum. As recipient of the 2015 Frieze Artist Award, annually given to an emerging artist, Rose will present an installation at this year’s Frieze London.
An essay on Rachel Rose’s work will be available at whitney.org.
Image: Rachel Rose (b. 1986), Everything and More (still), 2015. HD video. Courtesy the artist and Pilar Corrias, London
