Pipilotti Rist: Wishing for Synchronicity

Pipilotti Rist makes art to "encourage the mind, guarantee a detached view of social changes and conjure up positive energies." Like certain of her predecessors, such as Frederic Bruly Bouabre, Yayoi Kusama and Yoko Ono, Rist's inventive use of video technology alters our perception of space, our connection to objects and our response to representation. Rist has developed the flexible and spontaneous camera techniques of 1970s and 1980s video to strengthen the interdependence of video and viewing space, pressing the limits of video installation to reach into the viewer's personal own terrain. Rist defines the video image as having a "lousy, nervous, inner-world quality," on which she capitalizes to provoke the viewer and blend the skins of people, screens and surfaces. Wishing for Synchronicity accompanies this Swiss artist's first major U.S. survey, gathering work from the mid-80s onward. Richly illustrated, it features approximately 120 color reproductions, a videography, exhibition history and bibliography. It also focuses lesser-known works, including the audio-video sculptures "Hello, Good Day (Kiss Mouth)" (1995) , "Heilung" (2004), the large audio-video installations "Related Legs (Yokohama Dandelions)" (2001), "Super Subjective" (2001) and "Apple Tree Innocent on Diamond Hill" (2003). With essays dedicated to "feminine" imagery, recent trends in visual culture and the influence of pop music on the visual arts, this monograph offers unprecedented insight into Rist's oeuvre.