Whitney Biennial 2017
Mar 17–June 11, 2017
Jordan Wolfson
62
Floor 6
Born 1980 in New York, NY
Lives in New York, NY
In Jordan Wolfson’s Real violence, a virtual reality film, we witness the artist himself engaged in an act of unexplained violence. The victim makes eye contact with us intermittently, possibly implicating us in the scenario.
Wolfson is interested in violence as a rupture or distortion of our everyday consciousness. Presented as it is in the Biennial with no motive or backstory, the assault is almost a distillation of pure intensity—one that is ritualistically heightened by a recording of Chanukah blessings. Though the chanting is not explained, the artist has explored other facets of Jewish identity in previous works. Virtual reality is often exploited for its high-tech gloss and interactivity; Wolfson focuses not on the technology but on its capacity to isolate the viewer.
Real violence, 2017
Jordan Wolfson (b.1980), installation view of Real violence, 2017. Virtual reality headsets, high-definition video, color, Sound; 2:25 min. 2017 Whitney Biennial ( March 17–June 11, 2017). Collection of the artist; courtesy David Zwirner, New York, and Sadie Coles HQ, London