In his 1971 video, Walking Forward-Running Past, John Baldessari utilizes sequence, repetition, and montage to deconstruct the notion of cinematic chronology. Exploring the visceral and tactile relationship between the image, imaged, and viewer, Baldessari uses the intersection of photography and video to disrupt and call attention to the notion of temporal awareness. Taking this work as its center, Art in General’s 30th anniversary exhibition, Walking Forward-Running Past, presents a constellation of works that investigate our complicated and intricate relationship to chronology. The exhibition aims to capture the immediate past and the immediate future at the point where they collide, using its own framework as a way to reevaluate ideas of time and transformation. Walking Forward-Running Past embraces synchronicity, connection and serendipity, presenting a group of works that explore time’s malleable form, and questioning the linear narrative conventionally measured as past, present, and future.

In conjunction with Performa 11 (November 1 – 21, 2011), Art in General will present two projects that intersect with this exhibition. robbinschilds will present Instruction Construction in the 6th Floor gallery and Alison O’Daniel will debut her film Night Sky at Anthology Film Archives.

Click here to download a PDF of the Walking Forward-Running Past programs poster.

Support
General support of Art in General is provided by General Tools & Instruments LLC; the Lambent Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation; Abraham and Lillian Rosenberg Foundation; public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State’s 62 counties; National Endowment for the Arts; Ralph E. Ogden Foundation; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; Bloomberg; ConEdison; The Greenwich Collection; Cowles Charitable Trust; Foundation for Contemporary Arts; and by individuals.