THE SHOCK OF THE PRESENT 

12.12.2015-25.6.2016
Haifa Museum of Art
Curator: Svetlana Reingold

Installation photographs: 

The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 2
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 14
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 21
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 15
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 9
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 32
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 31
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 30
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 29
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 28
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 27
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 26
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 25
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 13
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 24
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 23
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 22
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 20
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 19
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 18
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 17
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 16
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 12
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 11
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 10
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 8
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 7
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 6
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 5
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 4
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 1
The Shock of the Present, Gary Goldstein 3

Gary Goldstein's story is entwined with major historical narratives: childhood and teenage years as the son of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the United States after World War II. The presence of the absent family past, says Goldstein, undermined any confidence he had in the stability of things, causing reality to be experienced as insecure. In his formative years Goldstein became aware of the profound chasm between society's hopes and promises, and the reality of life. This gap is the key to understanding his works. At first gaze, these works offer entertainment based on the familiar, embodied in the accessible appearance of arrangements that recall comic strips, ads, movie posters, and more. Yet a closer look arouses disquiet and unease. The gap between the gaze from afar and observation from up close discloses a defiant critique of the existential comfort of our consumer culture.

EXHIBITIONS

All rights reserved © Gary Goldstein

Design and Development:

button-icon