Press Release: Brian Fridge
New Works: 03.1
03.13.03
March 13 ?y 11, 2003
Brian Fridge Fort Worth, Texas
Paul Pfeiffer New York, New York
Susan Philipsz Belfast, Northern Ireland
Selected by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
About the Artist
Brian Fridge's black and white videos, Vault Sequence, seen in the 2000 Whitney
Biennial, capture glittering patterns that emulate outer space. But they originate from a
seemingly ordinary occurrence?dge filmed steam and ice crystals in a state of
transformation suspended inside his freezer. Working in a low-tech way with a HI 8
video camera, Fridge's works possess a timeless and poetic quality.
Fridge's do-it-yourself freezer cosmos calls attention to the miraculous and engages the
viewer with powerfully simple but beautifully complex imagery. For Fridge, the purposes
of nature's processes and the cultural endeavors of technology are ultimately the same.
More often than not, Fridge's work references the universe, which he likens to art
because it is self-defined and at the service of nothing. The realm of art, then, becomes
an exploratory avenue for his ideas about cosmology. The images that Fridge captures
defy the rigid categories of natural and man-made, found or manipulated, cosmic or
concrete?y remain amorphous, drawing the viewer in for a closer look.
Brian Fridge was born in Fort Worth, TX and received his BFA from the University of
North Texas, Denton, TX. His work was been featured in the 2000 Whitney Biennial,
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; and Contemporary Art Museum,
Houston, TX. Recent group exhibitions include Alternative Currents, The
McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX; and the Phoenix Triennial 2001, Phoenix
Art Museum, AZ. Solo exhibitions include Composition in Black, Dunn and Brown
Contemporary, Dallas, TX (2001); and Vault Sequence: Video Projections by
Brian Fridge, Four Walls at Displays Unlimited, Fort Worth, TX. The artist lives and
works in Fort Worth, TX.
About the Project
Brian Fridge's silent, unedited videos often appear as swirling galaxies of light and
matter?king a range of scale in space and time while being grounded in the
domestic. These cosmological scenes are exquisite, meticulously unveiling the
mysteries of the unseen. During his residency, Fridge assembled a laboratory of sorts in
his ArtPace studio to examine the properties of various materials, exploring their
potential as video images. Fridge performed numerous tests, experimenting with
substances that he could manipulate and record, generating movement that mirrors the
daily microscopic tumult of our household environments. The resulting videos reveal a
new universe, lending sculptural qualities to the installation.
During his residency Fridge has created a number of new works entitled:
Sequence 2.1 (5 minutes);Sequence 2.3 (5 minutes); Sequence
1.11 (3.5 minutes); and Sequence 2.1 (3 seconds). The images refer to
different kinds of space as well as time, and draw the viewer into contemplative
considerations of the micro and the macro? nano-second and the infinite universe.
Fridge's work is presented on black and white TV monitors. Pieces are unedited and
silent, and all events are set in motion in real time.
Exhibition Dates
March 13 ?y 11, 2003
Opening Reception
Thursday, March 13, 2003, 6:30-8:30 PM
Artists' Dialogue
Friday, March 14, 6:30-8:00 PM
Featuring Brian Fridge, Paul Pfeiffer, and Susan Philipsz. Moderated by Carolyn
Christov-Bakargiev, Chief Curator, Castello di Rivoli, Turin, Italy.
Brown Bag Lunch
Wednesday, April 9, 2003, 12:00-1:00 PM
Join us for a tour of New Works: 03.1 and a brown bag lunch provided by Pecan
Street Deli. Please call ArtPace to make reservations.
Event Locations
All events held at ArtPace, 445 N. Main Avenue. Free parking at Flores Street and
Savings. ArtPace is open to the public Wednesday thru Sunday, 12-5 PM, Thursday until
8 PM and by appointment. There is no charge for admission.
445 North Main Avenue San Antonio TX 78205 t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 www.artpace.org
© 2003 Artpace San Antonio