How to break the ice with Brian Porray's work "/'\0SCILL4T0R/'\"
Zap! Clang! Zwoosh! The “=/’\0SCILL4T0R/’\=” is here. The robust work of Vegas-born artist Brian Porray, “=/’\0SCILL4T0R/’\=” moves into its new home at UNLV’s Barrick Museum June 19 (with the Recent Acquisitions show). Time to get to know the new neighbor. Here’s how.
Start out on the right foot. Although you’ve probably never seen a painting like this, that doesn’t mean you won’t become fast friends. Porray is considered one of the best painters of his generation … which means he’s doing something that’s never been done before. (You don’t stand out by doing familiar stuff.) Feeling a little perplexed or mystified by “=/’\0SCILL4T0R/’\=” is normal.
Don’t be shy. In order to bond with this piece you have to get right into the game. Look for the symmetries the painting is built on. …. Oops. The center of the X isn’t exactly in the center of the painting. The left side of the canvas doesn’t exactly mirror the right. Do lines really meet? Where is Porray making you think you should see something that isn’t there?
Reach beyond first impressions. The simulated binary structure and the “leet” (Internet) language of the “=/’\0SCILL4T0R/’\=” title must mean something. Art derives its staying power by providing commentary on the age in which it’s made. Gee, what’s up? Freedom vs. control, cyborg vs. human, digital vs. organic, science vs. humanities, neuroplasticity vs. stasis are a few conversations that this painting can’t wait to start.
Let the experience flow. Relationships, like art appreciation, are often the result of gradual unfolding. Chill with “=/’\0SCILL4T0R/’\=” and see what happens. Summer of Love? Electric Daisy Carnival? A rainbow snow cone? Neo’s moment of truth in The Matrix? When you’re comfortable enough, you may even venture how the paint drips in “=/’\0SCILL4T0R/’\=” defy gravity.
Dawn-Michelle Baude is art critic for Las Vegas Weekly