Cory Arcangel: Pro Tools is at once humorous, solemn, and timely. His works are product demonstrations that he tinkers with to reveal the equal absurdity of outdated technology, advanced technology, and the speed of that exponential growth. In Various Self Playing Bowling Games, the highlight of the show, Arcangel hacks bowling video games from the late 70s to the 2000s and creates loops of gutter balls. The results are projected onto the wall in chronological order. The effect is something of a line graph, a horizontal failure over time. “I have found the repetitive failure of a poorly rendered 3D human figure bowling to somehow be an apt metaphor for our culture’s bizarre fascination with technology,” Arcangel says. Such are the matter-of-fact labels in the exhibit that describe strikingly clever ideas with ambiguously intentional humor.
This is, however, the tip of a tech-savvy, philosophical iceberg. Other sculptural, video, and print works continue deeper into his universally fascinating windows into human-machine interactions. Giant prints of Photoshop gradients, a video collage of Seinfeld clips that mention Kramer’s coffee table book about coffee tables...you should see it. In today’s contemporary art world where technological advancement is a ubiquitous subject for comment, and where the funny-sad tone pervades, Arcangel stands out for his fearless and astute statements that we don’t see anywhere else.
Cory Arcangel's Pro Tools is on view at The Whitney on 945 Madison Ave. at 75th St. until September 11.
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