Kunsthaus Glarus, Glarus, Switzerland
Elliot Reed
Rhythm
September 5–November 28, 2021
“I picked Rhythm for the show title because it speaks to my sense of fate. In the Oxford dictionary rhythm is
1) A strong regular repeated pattern of sounds and movements or
2) a regular pattern of changes and events.
Both the upstairs and downstairs galleries exist in a type of suspended animation. Upstairs, the two videos and a performative installation present the viewer with a ghost. At room-scale my body becomes an apparition, project- ed on the white screen, showing the residue of my labor. The large work is a metaphor - a piercing, a prepara- tion, and an encounter with an unsolvable problem. Being able to see the large scale of a barrier and performing the work of engaging with it. The jump rope video is a private toil. Sweat and meditation, straining the heart to strengthen it, increasing the capacity to feel and improv- ing stamina. The work with my face is an acknowledge- ment. Reminding myself of what’s there by touch, while also stretching/reconfiguring/pulling the flesh.
The basement gallery starts with a sonic “wash” with bright green walls and light, pointing towards streetlights, plants, and restoration. The left-right pan of the audio is inviting. This is followed by the second room, motorcycles all parked in a diagonal line. In progressive tones of red and orange, playing back the sound of inhaling breath.
A reminder of the intake required before expending more energy.”
-Elliot Reed
The exhibition by Puppies Puppies (Jade Kuriki Olivo) is now followed by two solo exhibitions by Bri Williams and Elliot Reed. Puppies Puppies (Jade Kuriki Olivo) was given carte blanche from the institution in inviting both artists. The works of Bri Williams and Elliot Reed are being pre- sented in Switzerland for the first time.
Elliot Reed (*1992, lives and works in New York) is a dancer, performer, and filmmaker. His works examine
the relationship between physicality, time, and systems
in conflict. Reed: “Time is my material and my embodied self is the medium.” The artist draws on techniques of improvisation and non-linear, symbolic narrative structures to create new perceptions of reality. His videos, installa- tions, and performances lead to intense, at times unnerv- ing propositions for unleashing alternative potentials that challenge and question the proportionalities of normative micro-networks in social systems. Collective unease is often used as a motivating factor in alluding to the possibility of breaking free of these systems.
https://kunsthausglarus.ch/en/exhibitions/archive/elliot-reed-rhythm
https://www.moussemagazine.it/magazine/elliot-reed-rhythm-at-kunsthaus-glarus/
https://www.contemporaryartlibrary.org/project/elliot-reed-at-kunsthaus-glarus-glarus-20440/8