Stepping off the sweltering pavement into the well air-conditioned Chelsea lobby, I welcomed the idea of being at an exhibition in a dimly lit, cool basement. As I stepped from the elevator into the space, I was coerced into taking a closer look by the bright lights glaring through windows into boundless depth. The space I’ve described is the new “Standards and Horizons” exhibition by Paul Kolker. The exhibition is held at 511 West 25th St., which serves as his space to curate his work and produce more art. This particular show was definitely focused on the perception of technology on a conceptual level. There was also an emphasis on how distance plays a role into viewing an object.
Paul Kolker was born in 1935, and has been producing art since the 1960’s. As an artist who also has a doctorate in medical and law fields, his experience in previous occupations is reflected through his work. Kolker started his art career through his illustrations in his medical journal articles, as well as the anatomical sculptures he began producing. In the mid 1970’s he started developing a unique approach to the understanding of light optics. With the purchase of a three tube front end television projector, he began to study the fractionation of photographic images. This eventually led to his work with LED lights and mirrors, showcasing the possibility of the infinite. Kolker has also created his own algorithm for creating images with computer or television pixelation through the use of black and white shades of tint. Kolker is not only an artist, but is also the Emeritus Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at North Shore/ LIJ Glen Cove Hospital. He has produced thirty-eight solo exhibitions in his Chelsea gallery and showcased a year-long solo exhibition in 2012.
My experience in the exhibition was very positive. The space is airy with high ceilings, especially considering you’re in a basement studio. There is also a structure on the ceiling which looks pretty similar to giant jiffy pop, which I found pretty amusing. The show features twenty pieces of Kolker’s work, all of which are entertaining to gaze at. Most of the show’s focus is on the repetition of images, suggesting a tangent of how we perceive our three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional plane. The mirage-like images created by the absorption of light through our retinas is exaggerated in Kolker’s art. One piece in particular called Ping Pong Forever stole a good portion of my time through its mesmerizing feel of being sucked into a world where the matrix, tron, and geometry all live harmoniously. Overall, the showcase is interesting and amusing. I think if you have ever enjoyed playing in front of a circus mirror you’ll love this exhibit. Although from afar the fractal boxes on the walls appear to be quite plain, there’s a strange ethereal feel like you’ve stumbled onto something great. The best description can be left to the artist himself as quoted, “Because of biases of color, shapes, parallax and perspective relative to where we stand as the observer, a dot may be a universe; and a universe may be a dot.”
Exhibition Details:
-Located at 511 west 25th st (between 10th and 11th ave)
-Free admission from 10am-6pm (Monday through Friday)
-Showcase on display from July 11 through September 27, 2013
For weekend or evening viewing as well as additional information you can contact the gallery at (212) 367-7300 or info@paulkolker.com / paulkolker.com
