'Down & Out'

'Banquet Still Life' (1667) is a work by painter Abraham van Beyeren (Holland, ca. 1620 – 1690). A traditional 'pronkstillevens', it features an excess of objects that typifies the grade of wealth kept by the Dutch upper class of the 17th century: silver-gilt dinnerware, oysters, fruits, lobster, and finely hand-woven tapestry. Both financially unstable and largely unrecognized for much of his lifetime, van Beyeren, perhaps satirically, chose as his organizing principle for 'Banquet Still Life' the infinity symbol. Through the meticulous composition of light, color, and form, the eye of the viewer often takes to the red lobster; slides down along the dangling curl of the fruit peel; scoops upwards across pearly white shells; into that missing section of melon; and then abruptly down towards the peculiarly tilted dishware; and so on. In the act of tracing an inevitable return, we are compelled to move backwards, forwards, and throughout this scene of literal stasis, reinforcing the very infinite properties that comprise the cycle of life, which plays solely with, and by, itself.

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrusion 1’ (2017), Plaster, pork casings, makeup and mixed media

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrusion 1’ (2017), detail

 

Corin Hewitt ‘Fireplace Extrusion 1’ (2017), detail

 

‘Sausage Frescoes 1’ (2017), detail

 

‘Sausage Frescoes 1’ (2017), detail

 

Basma Alsharif, ‘Renée’s Room’ (2015), installation with digital video on loop (14:50), live-feed surveillance camera feeding to monitor, and white carpet

 

 

 

Basma Alsharif, ‘Renée’s Room’ (2015), installation detail

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrustion 2’ (2017), Plaster, pork casings, makeup and mixed media

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Sausage Frescoes 2’ (2017), detail

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrustion 2’ (2017), Plaster, makeup and dirt

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrustion 2’ (2017), detail

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrustion 2’ (2017), detail

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrusion 3’ (2017), Plaster, pork casings, makeup and mixed media ‘Sausage Frescoes 3’ (2017), Plaster, pork casings, makeup and mixed media ‘Sausage Frescoes 4’ (2017), Plaster, pork casings, makeup and mixed media

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Sausage Frescoes 4’ (2017), detail

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Sausage Frescoes 3’ (2017), Plaster, pork casings, makeup and mixed media

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Sausage Frescoes 3’ (2017), detail

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrusion 3’ (2017), Plaster, pork casings, makeup and mixed media

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrusion 3’ (2017), detail

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Fireplace Extrusion 3’ (2017), detail

 

Corin Hewitt, ‘Smoking Garbage Eye (from the Foro Mussolini)’ (2017), mixed media