Baby Blue Benzo by Sara Cwynar,  52 Walker St. Library

Baby Blue Benzo by Sara Cwynar opens up in a large, carpeted space with a smaller room in the middle, a hidden entrance on one side. Walking around the venue, you almost feel exposed, the surprisingly tall walls for a SoHo gallery are adorned with printed images rising up the ceiling. Inside the seemingly little room, a massive horizontal screen stretched wall to wall, projecting a sort of video collage shot on film. The visual centerpiece of the work, and the show itself,  is a cardboard model of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, one of the most expensive cars ever sold to date. The screen is adorned with photos and video of models, beauty products, medication and countless other objects. The video almost gives one a feeling of discontent, as you sit watching an assault of a cycle of endless consumerism and consumption. The show drew more connections than just a take on consumerism and value, however. I later learned more on the reason behind her inclusion of images of Benzodiazepines, not only shown because they share a similar name with the Benz car, but also because they were a crutch once used by the artist herself during difficult times. A visit to the space could not be regretted as the show is limited, in both time and access.

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KADER KAYSER class 2