Banks Violette: Untitled

by Shamim M. Momim

Banks Violette (b. 1973) has been called the "Grown-Up Goth." Whitney Museum of American Art curator Chrissie Isles, at the time of the 2004 Whitney Biennial, described his work as embodying "the dark side of the heavy-metal American dream." This book, which accompanies an exhibition at the Whitney, presents a new multi-media sculptural installation by Violette that, with a musical component, explores the central concerns of his work in a complete, immersive environment.

This new work, Untitled, revolves around an idea of complicity between the artist, his collaborator the Black Metal musician Snorre Ruch, and the audience interacting with the piece. Cast in salt, the material surface of the piece is alternately glittery and matte, suggesting both the living and the dead. Recorded in Dolby surround sound and activated by motion detectors, the music becomes a theatrical element in orienting the viewer in the installation, swelling louder according to proximity.

Hardcover

First published June 1, 2005