You might get thrown out of some art galleries for taking photos, but a gallery of work by two Toronto artists requires it. The series of “invisible paintings” (as the artists’ website calls them) uses LEDs that put out light outside the spectrum that our eyes can see. When you walk into the gallery, you get the art equivalent of John Cage’s 4’33”: several blank paintings on the walls.
However, thanks to the sensitivity of digital sensors, you can turn on your digital camera or pick up your cell phone and see the glowing images on the two-foot by three-foot canvas. The art is tuned to the presentation method too, depicting smiles and winks as you take its photo in a sort of a self-aware nod to its viewers.
Brad Blucher and Kyle Clements, the artists behind the project, say on their website that their goal is to expose the contrast between social media and digital technology, where everything is photographed and shared, and most art museums, where this type of sharing is frowned upon or even banned outright. See a video of them talking about the project after the break.
[via Make Magazine, Kyle Clements]
