KMA exhibition shows range of new electronic media

The Knoxville Museum of Art showcases Video Art/3 Visions, an exhibition that does more than just hang on the wall, from Feb. 22, through May 4. Visitors to the KMA will have the opportunity to experience video art in three different ways.

The exhibition presents three independent video works that demonstrate the range of expressive and technical possibilities within this thriving art medium. Jenny Perlin, Peter Sarkisian and Hiraki Sawa are acknowledged masters of electronic media who approach their materials in distinctly different ways with dramatically different results.

Perlin focuses on the effects of sound and editing, Sarkisian on the physical effect of video footage projected onto three-dimensional forms, and Sawa on subtle, poetic imagery linked to childhood and domestic environments. Video Art/3 Visions represents the first time Perlin’s and Sarkisian’s work has been shown in Tennessee.

In Sight Reading, Perlin highlights rather than masks errors that occur when three professional pianists perform Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor for the first time simultaneously. As the video progresses, the virtuoso performances become increasingly disjointed from one another and chaos ensues. In Dusted, Sarkisian uses five projectors to create an eerie three-dimensional illusion of mysterious figures seemingly trapped inside a transparent cube.  In Going Places Sitting Down, Sawa creates poetic settings that surround viewers’ visual field and blurs the boundaries between consciousness and dream.

An exhibition preview party will take place Thursday, Feb. 21, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.  The preview party is open to the public and free of charge.

The Knoxville Museum of Art is located in downtown Knoxville at 1050 World’s Fair Park and is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday 10 am – 5 pm, Friday 10 am – 8 pm, and Sunday 1 pm–5 pm. Parking is free. Admission prices are $5 for adults and free to members and children 17 and under. Admission is free on Tuesdays. For more information visit www.knoxart.org.