[act-ma] Ongoning at the ICA

[Charlie Welch]

'Super Vision,'works by 27 artists exploring disorienting perceptual 
effects, disembodiment of sight, menace of constant surveillance
Information

New technologies have pushed the limits of the visible world, allowing 
us to see almost anything—from the elemental particles of matter to the 
far reaches of outer space. Both what can be seen and how we are able to 
see are being radically transformed in ways that have profound 
implications for advanced science, global politics, and everyday life. 
Super Vision examines this phenomenon in the context of contemporary 
art, presenting work by 27 international artists who are defining the 
distinctive character of the contemporary visual experience.

Among the breathtaking and provocative works in the exhibitions are 
pieces that seem to bend, twist, morph, or enter a new dimension, as 
artists such as Anish Kapoor, Bridget Riley, and James Turrell use 
optical effects to alter the way we perceive ourselves and the space 
around us. Works by Mona Hatoum, Harun Farocki, and Chantal Akerman 
explore disembodied sight-while some technologies replace the human 
body, Hatoum's Corps étranger travels inside it with a video portrait of 
her body's interior.

Super Vision also considers how technology transforms artists' 
understanding of the physical world-from Ed Ruscha's conceptual map to 
Sigmar Polke's depiction of a carbon atom. Today's vision breaks wide 
open the possibilities for human knowledge and experience, but as the 
insidious web cam in Albert Oehlen's painting Dose and the chaotic 
energy of works by Julie Mehretu and Jeff Koons show us, the effects can 
also be threatening. Like the realization of any fantasy, this powerful 
new vision is both thrilling and dangerous.

New technologies have pushed the limits of the visible world, allowing 
us to see almost anything—from the elemental particles of matter to the 
far reaches of outer space. Both what can be seen and how we are able to 
see are being radically transformed in ways that have profound 
implications for advanced science, global politics, and everyday life. 
Super Vision examines this phenomenon in the context of contemporary 
art, presenting work by 27 international artists who are defining the 
distinctive character of the contemporary visual experience.

Among the breathtaking and provocative works in the exhibitions are 
pieces that seem to bend, twist, morph, or enter a new dimension, as 
artists such as Anish Kapoor, Bridget Riley, and James Turrell use 
optical effects to alter the way we perceive ourselves and the space 
around us. Works by Mona Hatoum, Harun Farocki, and Chantal Akerman 
explore disembodied sight-while some technologies replace the human 
body, Hatoum's Corps étranger travels inside it with a video portrait of 
her body's interior.

Super Vision also considers how technology transforms artists' 
understanding of the physical world-from Ed Ruscha's conceptual map to 
Sigmar Polke's depiction of a carbon atom. Today's vision breaks wide 
open the possibilities for human knowledge and experience, but as the 
insidious web cam in Albert Oehlen's painting Dose and the chaotic 
energy of works by Julie Mehretu and Jeff Koons show us, the effects can 
also be threatening. Like the realization of any fantasy, this powerful 
new vision is both thrilling and dangerous.

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*Web Page:* http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/exhibit/supervision/ 
<http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/exhibit/supervision/>

Institute of Contemporary Art 
<http://calendar.boston.com/venues/show/17384?date=2007-02-10> [website 
<http://www.icaboston.org/>]
100 Northern Ave.
Boston, MA
617-478-3100