By
far the most engaging work that Prospect New Orleans has to offer, in this
second rendition of the city’s contemporary art biennial, can be found at one
of their satellite venues, The Pearl.
A Disease of the Oyster, curated
by artist and DJ, John Otte, is a smorgasbord of photography, painting, sculpture
and video (heavy on the video), thoughtfully embedded in the nooks and crannies
of the oldest Creole farmhouse (built in 1799!) still standing in the
Bywater. The Pearl has long been a
place for musicians and performers to gather, often during their frequent
Sunday night speakeasy. But, it
may be the first(?) time its beautiful, creaky bones have supported such an
extensive exhibition of visual works of contemporary art.
The
range of video works in the show is expansive, yet fluid. Some are projected on walls and floors,
others are presented on monitors, staged with old couches and schoolroom chairs
for comfy viewing. Sound from many
of the videos overlap to create a chorus of voice and noise. One of the voices is that of an oyster
shucker on a loop encouragingly telling his patrons “Everything’s gonna be
alright” as they learn of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf. A piece by Courtney Egan projected in
the claw foot tub in the bathroom pulsates with ghostly flowers that feel more
like fauna than flora.
The
Pearl is not just one building, but a grouping of small buildings teeming with
debris and artifacts. It is not
your typical, clean, white, ground; the backdrop for most public art viewing
experiences. On the night I was
there, it was dimly lit, actually almost entirely lit by videos, a few random
strings of light and a small bonfire in the courtyard that serves as the heart of
the complex. The soft, romantic
lighting made it difficult to see the non-video works, and I passed most of
them by for this reason.
The
title of the show comes from a line by Lenny Bruce: “Constant, abrasive,
irritation produces the pearl: a disease of the oyster!” Wow, if ever there was a perfect string
of words for an imperfect, yet magical city, this is the one. Otte told me that much of the work in
the show resonated with him in terms of control and surrender, and that the
installation was aligned with this same notion. He had to wield a certain amount of control to plant art in
a site so heavy with visual and living history. But, in the end, he had to surrender to the wonder of The
Pearl.
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