If you’ve ever thought about exploring video art, this might be when you have the time for it. But having the time doesn’t mean that you have the access. Since these aren’t ordinary times, Gagosian Gallery is curating a program of canonical video art that is available to anybody with a working internet connection.

Chris Burden, “Full Financial Disclosure” [still], 1977

These aren’t films that you’ll find on YouTube or fancy streaming services. They would probably be featured in a viewing room, during a museum show about the artist, or a show about video art. To see this many, you would ordinarily have to travel to multiple museums in multiple cities over a fairly long period of time. This exhibition is organized in “chapters,” each lasting two weeks. The first two-week installment dropped on Tuesday, May 19th.

Richard Serra, Hand Catching Lead [still], 1968

The first series of videos take their direction from Timothy Leary’s famous countercultural directive “Turn on, Tune in, Drop Out.” “Turn on” features films and videos that explore levels of self-awareness; “tune in” comprises works that investigate or dramatize interactions with the external world; and “drop out” describes artistic efforts to enact groundbreaking change.

Damien Hirst and Angus Fairhurst, A Couple of Cannibals Eating a Clown (I Should Coco) [still], 1993

This is a unique opportunity for budding curators, film historians, and artists interested in the history of media usage in fine art to binge on work that usually resides in permanent museum and private collections. It is likely that whole classes have been taught about video art without the kind of rare access that this moment offers.

Adam McEwen, Escape from New York [still], 2014

The first program is set to include Richard Serra, Chris Burden, Taryn Simon, Adam McEwen, and Douglas Gordon. Future programs promise Nam June Paik, Harmony Korine, Ed Ruscha and Man Ray. The gallery represents some A-list artists and artist estates, so this is a good program to keep on your radar.

Visit: https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2020/broadcast-alternate-meanings-in-film-and-video-chapter-one/