Blum and Poe is pleased to announce a new exhibition by Jennifer Bornstein consisting of seven short, silent 16mm films. Each film is a static, straight shot that is composed as a still-life backdrop in which a single action unfolds. All but one were filmed inside the artist's apartment.

Taking natural phenomena as their subject matter, the films depict things and occurrences that are unusual but familiar.  Each film, with its title consuming nearly as much screen time as the action itself, is named for its subject: The Oldest Star, Plant Communication, and Sunset at the North Pole are some of the titles.

In addition to their rather arcane subjects, the films address notions of obsolescence: for example, the obsolescence of 16mm film as an art or documentary medium; of rudimentary, home-made special effects and trickery in the style of Buster Keaton or the Keystone Cops; and the notion of film's and photography's ability to capture truth.

Jennifer Bornstein lives and works in Los Angeles. She has exhibited internationally since completing her MFA at the University of California, Los Angeles, including exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary, Chicago, P.S. 1 in New York, and at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Per L'Arte, Guarene, Italy. Her work is  in the public collections of Frac des Pays de la Loire, Nantes, the New School University, New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

Selected Works