Aïda Ruilova: The Singles 1999 — Now
January 24 to March 15, 2009
Walter Phillips Gallery, The Banff Centre
Curated by Paul Ha and Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson
Co-organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art St. Louis and Aspen Art Museum
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 24, 3 to 5 p.m.
with performance I’m a Brawl by Aïda Ruilova and Caitlin Cook
On January 24, The Banff Centre’s Walter Phillips Gallery opens Aïda Ruilova: The Singles 1999 — Now, presenting a comprehensive review of the New York-based artist’s Gothic-inspired single-channel video work.
Inspired by B-movie horror and vampire flicks of the 1970s, Ruilova’s work involves cryptic characters performing acts that allude to self-destruction, claustrophobia, isolation, and extreme psychological stress. A classically trained musician and one of the founding members of experimental music group Alva, Ruilova is deeply influenced by pop culture, music, and sound. The dark, do-it-yourself aesthetic of her videos is complemented by audio portions featuring repetitive phrases, heavy breathing, crunching guitar strings, and vinyl LPs being scraped across cement.
Ruilova’s work has been featured in numerous international film festivals and biennials — including the 2004 Whitney Biennial and the 50th Venice Biennale — as well as in exhibitions at the New Museum of Contemporary Art, Bard College Center for Curatorial Studies, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, White Columns, and The Moore Space. In 2006, she was shortlisted for the Guggenheim Museum’s Hugo Boss Prize.
View a selection of excerpts from the artist’s work.
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More information about the Walter Phillips Gallery.
