Best of The Armory 2009
Title: Reality Show
Artist: Ivan Navarro
Medium: Sculpture
Reality Show was definitely the most fun piece at The Armory Show. The sculpture is a telephone booth sized box, and every wall is a one-way mirror. When you step inside the box, all you can see is an infinite recursion of yourself in all the mirrors around you. In such a small space surrounded with bright fluorescent lights, this is extremely disorienting. Outside the box, onlookers can watch the confused “stars of the show” as if they are animals in a cage. I can definitely attest to the fact that, though I voluntarily entered the box, it was extremely uncomfortable being put on display and not seeing the viewers.
Eventually, our entire class crammed into the box together and had someone take a few great photos before being prodded away by the gallery assistants.
The piece made me laugh, played with my senses, and spoke to the disconnectedness of the world today.
More information on Ivan Navarro is available on the Saatchi website.
