Introduction

Debuting during Art Basel 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Art Miami brings to the United States the first major museum showing for Albanian multi-media artist, Anri Sala. Known primarily for his video pieces invoking the communicative properties inherent in light and sound, the exhibition Purchase Not By Moonlight presents a multi-faceted collection of recent work. Curated in collaboration with the Contemporary Art Center Cincinnati, the site-specific exhibition creates an environment that asks viewers to participate actively with the works, as Sala creates a sort of call-and-response with visitors. The artist stresses that he has attempted to use the space given not as a background onto which the video work is thrust, but rather as a tool with which his pieces respond to capture the attention of viewers. Sala’s video pieces take center stage, arranged at odd angles to each other and presented on what seemed to be a random timer; the seven videos beckon the viewer to move around the exhibition non-linearly, jumping from one area to the next as projectors come to life. Accompanying each video piece is Doldrums; crafted specifically for this exhibition, this work consists of a line of drums which magically drum to the rhythm of the film’s respective soundtracks. Doldrums represents an echoing of the themes present in each of the films, as Sala’s interest in sound as a powerful communicator is explored in diverse ways throughout the seven films, including the artist’s most recent piece Answer Me. The short film invites us to peek into a conversation between two presumptive lovers as one’s questions are drowned out, or perhaps answered, by the drumming of the other. Another highlight of the exhibition was the two corresponding videos Spurious Transmission and Air Cushioned Ride; one video documents the drive around a truck stop, as the radio jumps back and forth between baroque music and country music twang, while the second video recreates the audio portion of the first video using live musicians.

Although the artist does make it clear that dedicating time to the exhibit is important to fully understanding the piece, the random timing of the video presentations can at times become troublesome, as corresponding videos may not play sequentially, and there can be long time gaps between their showings. What Purchase Not By Moonlight succeeds in most fully is taking viewers by the hand and projecting them through an exploration of sound and video. Sala has used the unique space provided to create a responsive and interactive world directed by his videos.

Bryan Barcena