Prankster

October 19–November 25, 2001 320 West 13th Street

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Press Release

PRANKSTER, curated by Lauren Ross

This group exhibition presents artists who are playing tricks or engaging in mischief. The goal of Pranskter is not to present these artists as senseless troublemakers or to revel to the misfortune of others. Instead it seeks to celebrate the value of harmless forms of deception and applaud actions that encourage the re-evaluation of routine assumptions.

After receiving multiple phone calls at home from people who were trying to reach a tech-support line, Matt Besser decided to assume the role of help technician and recorded the resulting conversations. Bureau of Inverse Technology sends BIT Plane, a radio controlled plane with attached camera, into no-camera zones over the headquarters of information technology corporations. Susan Carnahan presents a video in which two clowns mysteriously are being chased down a suburban street by an unseen car. Collaborative group The E-Team presents a series of self-help videos—some based on actual manuals and some completely fictitious—instructing the viewer on such things as “How to Unclog a Toilet” and “How To Clean the Bottom of Your Refrigerator.” Jeff Feld documents a trip to Home Depot during which he brought one of his own sculptures into the store, took it to a register in a cart, and purchased it. Marc Grubstein manipulates New York City subway maps with disorienting results. Lisa Levy produces red-dot stickers with instructions on how they can be placed strategically to boost an artist’s career. Tim Thyzel records various public performances in which he plays with people’s expectations, including the conversions of a garbage can into a backpack and an ordinary dolly into a portable park.

About the curator: Lauren Ross is Director/Chief Curator of White Columns.

Invitation

Invitation for "Prankster," "White Room: Elise Ferguson," and "White Room: Lori Nix"
Invitation for "Prankster," "White Room: Elise Ferguson," and "White Room: Lori Nix"
Invitation for "Prankster," "White Room: Elise Ferguson," and "White Room: Lori Nix"
Invitation for "Prankster," "White Room: Elise Ferguson," and "White Room: Lori Nix"

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