Exhibition
Jon Rafman: Remember Carthage
01/09/13
Conversations · Exhibition-Related
Virtual Explorer: A talk with Jon Rafman
Cover Image:
Jon Rafman and Rosa Aiello, Remember Carthage, 2013 (still). Video on loop, color, sound. Courtesy the artists
In conjunction with a presentation of his new film Remember Carthage (co-created by Rosa Aiello) through the New Museum’s First Look, artist Jon Rafman will give an overview of his work in moving image as well as sculpture and photography.
Remember Carthage (2013), an essay film in the tradition of experimental documentarians like Chris Marker or Harun Farocki, takes the viewer on an epic journey in search of an abandoned resort town deep in the Sahara desert. However, here, one travels not through archival or personal images but through footage sourced from PS3 video games and Second Life, depicting ancient civilizations that seem at once familiar and totally fantastical. This new work is emblematic of Rafman’s larger practice, in which explorations of virtual worlds, diverse communities, and emergent systems unravel their internal codes, limits, and fresh possibilities. At this presentation, Rafman will present past works, including his iconic Nine Eyes of Google Streetview and Kool Aid Man, as well as share a preview of a new film in progress (a second collaboration with Aiello), which, in their words, “investigates the effect of trauma on how we process the proliferation of images in contemporary visual media.”
Jon Rafman is an artist, filmmaker, and essayist whose work explores the impact of technology on consciousness. His films and artwork have gained international attention and have been exhibited at the New Museum, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and the Saatchi Gallery in London. Rafman’s work has been featured in Modern Painters, Frieze, the New York Times, and Harper’s.
Sponsors
First Look is made possible, in part, by the Toby Devan Lewis Emerging Artists Exhibitions Fund.
