Paul Pfeiffer 13 Oct - 17 Nov 2004 11 Duke Street, St James's
For their autumn exhibition, the Directors of Thomas Dane are pleased to present work by visionary American artist Paul Pfeiffer. This, the first solo exhibition of work by Pfeiffer to be held in the UK, will include a selection of new works.
Employing numerous media, Pfeiffer expands the way we see and the possibilities for interpretation. His distinctive images, still and moving, range from digitally altered photographs and video to multi-media installations. Often his works revolve around the human figure, featuring, in particular, stars of sport, music and film. His unique view of these icons, and of a world where technology is changing perception, is expressed through multiplying, altering, redistributing and even erasing their images.
At Thomas Dane, Pfeiffer will present three groups of work. In the first room will be recent examples from his Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse series. In these large-scale photographs, sports arenas appear with ambiguous spirituality as the new cathedrals, and sportsmen - in this case basketball players - as the new saints.
The second room will feature a new addition to the artist's Caryatid series. Here, he puts as much emphasis on the way the image is presented as on the image itself: a small-scale computerised video loop, showing slow motion footage of falling footballers, is displayed on a seductive chromed monitor. In the same space will be two new works that represent a thematic departure for the artist. The first relies on a hidden monitor and a 45-degree mirror to create the illusory image of a tiny moving shape - a barely distinguishable fly on a wall. The second uses a 'periscope' effect to reveal a lit empty corridor...
Morning After the Deluge, seen for the first time in the UK, has a particular resonance for audiences here. Inspired by JMW Turner's painting of the same name, the work features a monumental projection loop in which a sunrise and a sunset converge in a single image, confounding the viewer with a picture of opposing realities. It occupies the third room.
Paul Pfeiffer (b1966) was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, of Philippino extraction. He now lives and works in New York. In 2000, he was the winner of the inaugural Bucksbaum Award at the Whitney Biennial. A major presentation of his work is at K21 Kunstsammlung im Ständehaus, Düsseldorf (12 June to 17 October 2004), and he is also preparing an ArtAngel Project for 2006. He has exhibited widely in the United States and around the world. Pfeiffer's work is held in distinguished collections including The Whitney Museum, NY, The Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and The Goetz Collection, Munich.