This evening’s conversation in response to ICA’s expansive project, The Big Nothing, brought together Josh Kline, whose sculptural works speculate on capitalism as the ultimate big nothing in our society; Benjamin Tiven, whose film-based projects explore the elusive and impermanent nature of recorded images; and Noa Giniger, who was a rather immaterial and ephemeral presence on a big monitor via Skype, and whose works in various mediums often reside in liminal, transitional states, and challenge our conception of linear time. Their far-reaching discussion on the vast concept of “nothingness” was ably led by Whitney-Lauder Curatorial Fellow Liz Park. The engaging conversation included native Philadelphian Josh’s reflections on the importance of ICA for young artists like himself, and his recollections of The Big Nothing curators’ research trip to New York City’s Electronic Arts Intermix, where he was working at the time. In the audience was Duane Linklater, whose It means it is raining is currently in the Ramp Space; he challenged everyone with a pointed question about the role of ethics in artistic research. The audience, which included a trove of visitors from NYC, did not want the conversation to end, and so it spilled out into the reception afterwards.
The Big NothingICA@50: Pleasing Artists And Publics Since 1963Josh Kline: Living Wages / The Big Nothing (2004)Benjamin Tiven: Synthetic Spectra / The Big Nothing (2004)Noa Giniger: Durational Boundaries / The Big Nothing (2004)ICA@50