"Michael Snow: A Life Survey", features over 50 works spanning six decades of Snow's artistic career, from his early paintings and sculptures to his groundbreaking films and installations.
A new exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery in Kinderhook, New York showcases the diverse and innovative work of Michael Snow, one of the most influential experimental filmmakers and multimedia artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The exhibition, titled "Michael Snow: A Life Survey", features over 50 works spanning six decades of Snow's artistic career, from his early paintings and sculptures to his groundbreaking films and installations. The show also includes some of his lesser-known works, such as his drawings, photographs, musical compositions and writings.
Snow, who died earlier this year at the age of 94, was a prolific and playful artistic polymath who worked in a range of media, including film, installation, sculpture, photography and music. His best-known films are "Wavelength" (1967) and "La Région Centrale" (1971), which are regarded as milestones in avant-garde cinema for their exploration of time, space, perception and the cinematic apparatus.
Snow was also a pioneer of installation art, creating immersive environments that challenged the boundaries between art and life, such as "The Viewing of Six New Works" (1980), which consisted of six rooms with different artworks that could only be seen through peepholes. He also experimented with sound art, producing albums such as "Musics for Piano, Whistling, Microphone and Tape Recorder" (1975) and "The Last LP: Unique Last Recordings of the Music of Ancient Cultures" (1987), which were both humorous and provocative.
Snow was born in Toronto in 1928 and studied at the Ontario College of Art. He had his first solo exhibition in 1957 and moved to New York with his first wife, artist Joyce Wieland, in 1963. There he became part of the vibrant downtown art scene, collaborating with artists such as Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik and Steve Reich. He returned to Canada in the early 1970s and continued to produce innovative and influential work until his death.
"Michael Snow: A Life Survey" is a rare opportunity to see the breadth and depth of Snow's artistic legacy, which has inspired generations of artists and filmmakers around the world. It is also a tribute to Snow's adventurous spirit and his relentless curiosity about the possibilities of art.