Art21 Extended Play

Oliver Herring | Legacy

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EXCLUSIVE: Artist Oliver Herring discusses what he perceives as generational shifts in our relationship to the camera, mortality, and legacy, accompanied by scenes from his five channel video installation Little Dances of Misfortunes (2001) — created after 9/11 — which depicts amateur dancers illuminated by phosphorescent body paint. Little Dances of Misfortunes is currently on view (through June 14, 2009) at The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College as part of Oliver Herring’s 15-year career survey Me Us Them.

Among Oliver Herring’s earliest works were his woven sculptures and performance pieces in which he knitted Mylar, a transparent and reflective material, into human figures, clothing and furniture. Since 1998, Herring has created stop-motion videos, photo-collaged sculptures, and impromtu participatory performances with ‘off-the-street’ strangers, embracing chance and chance-encounters in his work.

Oliver Herring. "Little Dances of Misfortunes," production still, 2001. Courtesy the artist and Max Protetch Galelry, New York.

Oliver Herring. "Little Dances of Misfortunes," production still, 2001. Courtesy the artist and Max Protetch Gallery.

Oliver Herring. "Little Dances of Misfortune," production still, 2002. Courtesy the artist and Max Protetch Gallery, New York

Oliver Herring. "Little Dances of Misfortunes," production still, 2001. Courtesy the artist and Max Protetch Gallery.

VIDEO | Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Susan Sollins. Camera: Joel Shapiro. Sound: Roger Phenix. Editor: Jenny Chiurco. Artwork Courtesy: Oliver Herring.