Mattress Factory exhibition 'Neighbo(u)rhood' wrestles with community
-
In a homey setting, visitors can watch a video of two friends stepping into each other's shoes in "Metamorphosis Chat/Metamorfoz Muhabbet," as shown in this detail.
Share with others:
As the world struggles with how to handle complex social and economic issues, a richly conceived and highly engaging exhibition at the Mattress Factory suggests new ways to evaluate and amend the prevalent paradigm.
From a touching and intimate exchange between two women to the promise of a sweaty smack-down wrestling match, works by the eight artists of "Neighbo(u)rhood" explore variants on the notion of community and, by extension, how we relate to one another.
Compelling and politically astute, the video installation "Metamorphosis Chat/Metamorfoz Muhabbet" by Ferhat Ozgur, of Ankara, Turkey, is on one level a conversation between two graying women. A teacher visits her friend at home and they talk about their clothing. What could be more innocuous?
It's symbolism -- cultural, religious, feminist -- that provides the potential spark. Both are neatly dressed, the teacher in black slacks and red V-necked sweater, her short gray hair styled, wearing jewelry and makeup; the friend in a long flower-patterned house dress, which tops layers of undergarments, a blue cardigan sweater, thick stockings and a headscarf.
The teacher, concerned about her friend's comfort, asks why she doesn't remove the scarf. Her friend replies she's worn it since childhood and is used to it. By the end of the film they are comfortably swapping clothing, literally stepping into one another's shoes.
The video admirably condenses broad commentary into a relatively brief length. Viewing it from upholstered chairs in a home-like setting furthers the feeling of connection with the principals. One cheers for the dismantling of artificial constraints, but with the cautionary that the ultimate goal is individual freedom, not the overt substitution of one culture system for another.
At the other end of the spectrum is Dawn Weleski's down and earthy "City Council Wrestling," a work involving community participation that will culminate in a wrestling event at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Lawrenceville Moose Lodge, 120 51st St. ($10 admission).
First Published August 10, 2011 12:00 am
