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Article in “Frieze”,
contemporary Art and Culture Martin Pesch
(translated by Michael Robinson) London,
November-December 1997 ….Ritual 1-2 (1997) by Dutch artist Peter Bogers
takes a more spectacular approach. In contrast with many works in the show,
which approach the theme oft he body with calm reticence, a ticking
wall-clock establishes the tempo in Bogers' space. On one wall you see real-time
pictures from various other exhibition areas, or of yourself, caught up in
Bogers' video works. On the floor are 12 TV monitors set in a circle. The
scenes playing are edited in such a way that each screen shows a violent
scene from a feature film and then freezes. This produces an endless sequence
of punches and bullet wounds. You stand in the middle and follow them round,
or you sit down in front of a smaller video screen and watch loops of action
scenes dissolving into each other. Headphones play a soundtrack like a DJ’s
set, with shots and blows as the beat. You are aware that Bogers’ sources
help shape our image of the body, but it is the only work in the exibition to
make it clear, through the vehemence of it’s manipulation, that this is wrong.
After that, you can rest on E.R.Sontag’s
rubber seat, entitled OMO (1996-97), enjoying the vibrations running through
your body, until Bogers’ images start to slowly drain out of your
brain-unfortunately they will never disappear completely…….. |