This use of light acknowledged Mehretu's own curiosity with light, particularly in regard to her TRANSpaintings, which play with translucence. These large, colorful pieces which are supported by sculptor Nairy Baghramian's standing structures, are altered depending on the lighting. (Bodies, too, can be seen through these paintings, and Jasperse played with this, as well.)
The TRANSpaintings, and really all of Our Days, Like a Shadow, blend and blur many colors in intricate abstract patterns. The series can be overwhelming upon first walkthrough. Mehretu's works are multi-layered: the TRANSpaintings, for example, contain layers of inks and acrylics painted over ghost images from recent media. To really appreciate each work's full complexity, a viewer would need many visits over many hours, and even then, they might miss Mehretu's intricacies of color, texture, and material.
Somehow, “Wandering” simplified the experience.
In one particular sequence, for example, a dancer would finish a phrase then go stand in front of a painting. The dancer's costume (by MX Oops) was coordinated to highlight a particular color in a piece, so that when the dancer aligned themself with the painting, all of a sudden, that color would reveal itself.
In these moments, it was as if I could see inside of Mehretu’s paintings. Within the infinity of her blended colors came a single, glowing color, one that I couldn’t necessarily name but that I somehow, thanks to Jasperse, could recognize. These were remarkable moments of clarity and I longed to hold onto them. But then, the dancer began to move again. In the next instant, he disappeared. And the color, too, blended back into the painting and was gone.
comments