If, like Lieutenant Jonathan Kendrick in A Few Good Men, you only have two books at your bedside – the Marine Corps Code of Conduct and the King James Bible – you will recognise the phrase “through a glass, darkly”, as being (almost) from Corinthians. It is also the name of an Ingmar Bergman film, and pops up in other pieces of art and literature, and to summarize, the passage posits that our human experiences and understanding of God are viewed through an obscuring lens, and that the truth will only be revealed once we die.
But fear not, no dying is required to fully appreciate this group exhibition of the same name at the Simon/Neuman² gallery project in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It’s positively discouraged, in fact. The three artists contributing to the show are Jan Tichy (Prague), Thora Dolven Balke (Oslo) and David Terranova (London), and each approach the theme in a different way. Tichy uses the darkness surrounding a subject to disorientate the viewer, Balke employs light and actual glass as a filter, and Terranova’s pictures feature huge, endless landscapes and cityscapes which overwhelm the human presence. Through a Glass Darkly ends on 29 June.
Thora Dolven Balke
Jan Tichy
Thora Dolven Balke
David Terranova
Thora Dolven Balke
Jan Tichy
Thora Dolven Balke
David Terranova
Jan Tichy
