Behind the curtain shines the light
2023
JAX District
13.45 x 3.51 x 9.03 m
Gregor Hildebrandt’s installation Behind the curtain shines the light (2023) made from VHS tape runs along the walls of the room like a second skin.
Formed by scraping off parts of the videotapes, white strokes create expressionist motifs that ride across the curtained wall, like visible gestures in the air, reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings. Laid bare, fragile, the scraped-off tape is shorn of its materiality, its film; leaving behind only the space it inhabits and the action it is born from. Hidden neon tubes bring further shapes into the room, that appear as immaterial, organic sculptures.
The videotapes are prerecorded with extracts from the TV series Star Trek, a subtle nod to popular culture that is typical of the German artist’s practice. In this site-specific, immersive installation conceived especially for Noor Riyadh, Hildebrandt transports visitors into his monochromatic universe.
Behind the Curtain Shines the Light, 2023 ©Gregor Hildebrandt
Commissioned by RCRC and Riyadh Art