The Past Was a Mirage I’d Left Far Behind

The Bloomberg Commission
Josiah McElheny: The Past Was a Mirage I’d Left Far Behind
 Whitechapel Gallery, Gallery 2 until 19 August 2012.

Karl Hyde, one of the founders and member of the electronic music group Underworld and the design collective Tomato, selected abstract films that form the basis of reconfigured projections.

New York-based artist Josiah McElheny used light and mirrors for his Bloomberg Commission to transform the Whitechapel Gallery into a hall of mirrors. Seven large-scale, mirrored sculptures are arranged as multiple reflective screens for the artist’s interpretation of groundbreaking experimental abstract films which changed throughout 2012.

For the final stage of the commission, Karl Hyde was invited by McElheny to handpick a series of films. A highlight of Hyde’s selection included experimental early films by Underworld and Tomato. Underworld often incorporated these films in their live shows, projecting them onto huge screens. Shown alongside these works, Hyde selected a series of historic abstract films which have inspired and influenced his own work.