Ballroom Marfa continued a collaboration with Whitechapel Gallery in London and other international galleries from Oslo, Bergamo, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, and Wellington to bring together film and video artists from a global community. Ballroom Marfa selected Aïda Ruilova as the representative from North America, and as part of this program screened two of her works from 2008 and 2009 in conjunction with works chosen by each of the participating galleries. Ruilova gave an artist’s talk to accompany the program. Across two nights, Ballroom Marfa screened works that have been collectively programmed, providing a glimpse of some of the most pressing aesthetic concerns of artists working today.

Video artist and musician Aïda Ruilova presents moments in which something extreme is obviously happening, even though the viewer is never quite able to identify what that something is. Ruilova’s videos are harsh and exhilarating, relying on extreme close ups and quick cuts to create an anxious buildup that has little payoff. The actors or actresses are shown performing strange actions, which are filmed from odd angles or camera positions in order to enhance the discomfort felt by the audience.

The artist’s signature rapid-fire editing disregards narrative, rather creating an absurd video collage. While nothing exactly violent ever occurs during Ruilova’s videos, the brusque montage and the psychologically charged settings along with the heavily cut soundtrack create a profoundly disturbing atmosphere.

Images