'Performance and Surveillance' in Video

Wednesday, 19 October 2005 12:45

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS.-To observers of cultural phenomena, the dawn of the 21st century may not necessarily be the best or worst of times. But it could be among the most culturally confused and conflicted eras to emerge in recent history, considering society’s mass-fascination with reality TV programs and Web cams, on one hand; and, on the other, its ever-present obsession with security, fueled by global fears of terrorism. These dichotomies will be revealed and examined in a timely new exhibition, “Balance and Power: Performance and Surveillance in Video Art,” at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Krannert Art Museum. “This exhibition examines both the pioneer days of video art and current practices in an attempt to understand the complex relationship between intentional acting for the camera and our involuntary relinquishing of privacy to the cameras of power systems that have an interest in the movement of citizens,” said guest curator Michael Rush. The exhibition references and features work by a diverse group of artists, from early video pioneers such as Andy Warhol, Vito Acconci and Bruce Naumann to emerging practitioners such as Jill Magid and U. of I. art and design professor Kevin Hamilton. Included in the exhibition are large-scale installations, single-channel tapes, newly commissioned work and the premiere of Crandall’s new film “Homefront.”

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