wideo, 2'
1993
In this short video, the artist’s face emerges from the dark screen in outbursts of light. The sudden, split-second flashes, counted off in an irregular rhythm, make it impossible for the viewer to adjust his or her gaze and focus on the image. The different parts of the face – left, right, top, bottom – are illuminated with a spotlight at varying angles. Contrary to what might be expected, there is no direct relationship between the counted numbers and the way the artist’s face is illuminated, only a connection between the strength of the voice and the strength of the light. In this snapshot-style, compulsively flashing self-portrait, the artist employs the effects of cinematic dramaturgy, revealing a perverse sense of humour. Attacking his face with flashes of light, he also references his afterimage-perception experiments in the film Test from over two decades earlier.
