Air-conditioning blasts down my neck as I watch bright, frenetically-flashing neon hues shimmy and swerve across the screen. How much more brightness can my eyes tolerate? I’m seeing purple blobs.
I think about where to draw the line as a viewer of Ryan Trecartin’s short film series, Any Ever. The young video artist is famous for short films that probe modern-day conceptions of consumerism, identity, and post-millennial technology.
In this particular exhibition, the movies blend narrative imagery and frenzied dark humor which crescendos like an MTV Real World brouhaha—times ten. Hosted by MoMA PS1, Any Ever occupies seven sculptural theater installation galleries that inspire viewers to question perceptions of humanity and the tolerance for a higher pitch and a faster pace.
