Has the slow start to an overcast spring left the cobwebs of winter blues lingering? If so, visit Bill Jenkins’ second solo exhibition for a little light therapy.
Just opened at Laurel Gitlen, one of several galleries on Manhattan’s Lower East Side known for spotting artists with both institutional and commercial relevance, Jenkins’ repurposes traditional ‘white box’ resources, light, open space, and electricity, to create a perceptually unstable architecture. From the large storefront windows and artificial overhead systems, light is channeled from mirrored ducts through the gallery before being deposited into a luminescent pool that runs the length of the gallery. Don’t miss the back room’s translucent membrane that creates a haunting time-based monochrome that dimly illuminates several minimal Judd-esq wall works.
Technically it’s not going to work very well; however, Jenkins’ and Gitlen’s conceptual risk is a big win that has allowed the artist to seriously up his found-object game. By taking on illusive elements and creating a proto-functional system of distribution and display, Jenkins’ practice is more contemporary, durable and expansive than ever.
Bill Jenkins
Wet Light
5.18.14 — 6.22.14
Laurel Gitlen
122 Norfolk Street
New York, NY 10002