| Issue #30, October 20, 2006 |
review: lihie talmor: “neither inside, nor outside” at solar
An abstract, red, metal sculpture and a worn and graying wood swing set; these are the two objects that stand on the lawn before the door to Solar, a Latin-American art gallery in East Hampton. Stepping through that door, one finds that the outdoor objects have set the tone for the indoor space, a tone which is perfectly suited for the gallery’s current exhibit, “Lihie Talmor: ‘Neither Inside, Nor Outside.’” As the name suggests, this show of photo etchings and short videos questions the setting and perspective of the viewer. The exhibit also sets images of familiar, homey spaces against foreign, unwelcoming ones.
As in one of Talmor’s etchings, Solar seeks to contain and present both familiar and foreign elements. Clean gallery walls, displaying the works of international artists, also support the upstairs home of gallery owner Esparanza Leon and her family. The whistle of a kettle in the Talmor’s video of herself watering kitchen plants could just as plausibly have sounded from upstairs, where Leon’s mother just came in from watering the flowers on the patio.
This intimate setting suits Leon, who avoided the word “gallery” in her establishment’s name in order to discourage the notions of pristine, white walls and aloof behavior, which are often associated with the term. She instead chose “Solar” after reading an article that referred to art and artifacts of warm-climed countries as having a “solar aesthetic.” Subsequent Latino connotations of the word, such as the internal courtyard of a home, or a denotation of one’s fatherland, supported Leon’s faith in her choice.
These meanings of “solar” also support the artistic themes of Israeli-born, Venezuelan-raised Talmor. In the four-minute video Unfolding (Desdoble, 2002), images of the artist carrying out household chores over a few mornings are repeated to create a cyclical sense of domesticity. However, this cycle is interrupted by stark shots of the artist’s native land. The landscape is rocky and barren except for two outsiders who wave up at the artist’s window. Her home’s glass exterior keeps her removed from the two strangers outside. Yet a strange figure can still be found within the house. A haunting, ghost-like reflection of the artist in the chrome of a teakettle suggests that the unfamiliar can reside within the most domestic of things.
Talmor plays again with the frightening in the seemingly familiar in her series of photo etchings, Confines (2006). Taken on the road to Jerusalem, the first four of the five photographs are of what looks like an old-fashioned camper. The camper, parked on the side of the road, has been shot from different angles and distances. The photos also vary by the etching techniques they have undergone. For some, Talmor has carved deeply into the plates, creating striking contrast. For others, she has used subtly colored inks, creating the suggestion of different moods. These variations display not only Talmor’s technical range, but also her purposefulness of play; each of these seemingly arbitrary variations actually work to highlight specific objects (branches, the road, etc.) in the photo.
However, the most dramatic change in mood is the result not of an etching technique or ink, but rather of a piece of information. The supposed camper in the foreground evokes images of family vacations and carefree travel. Yet, when the viewer learns that the camper is not a camper but an abandoned armored truck from the 1940s, the mood of the entire series switches from one of family-oriented nostalgia to harrowing war memories.
The war vs. home theme continues in the photo etching series Password (2002). The fifteen photos were all taken on the Israeli-Lebanon border, literally riding the line between home and foreign lands.
This series also strongly captures the exhibit’s title. Looking at the photo etchings, the viewer is unsure of his or her perspective. A broad, dark band across the foreground could be a road on which he or she is standing, or the sill of a window through which he or she is looking.
Talmor’s second video, Penelope (2005), blends the theme of war vs. home with the theme of inside vs. outside. In the twelve-minute video, the artist sits in an unfurnished house with a pile of metal chain links. Like Penelope weaving while waiting for Odysseus to return from war, Talmor obsessively weaves a metal mass of links. The metal rings are reminiscent of medieval armor, blending the idea of masculine warfare abroad with the idea of feminine craft-making at home.
Lihie Talmor: “Neither Inside, nor Outside” will be running through November 13. Solar Gallery is located at 44 David’s Lane, East Hampton. Please call 631-907-8422.
–Renée R. Donlon
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