Galileo, 2008
Bank Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Fujiflex photograph 40x40x2”; 18 convex mirrors 3”, 5”, 7”, 9” with etched text;
6 clusters of circular fujiflex photographs, convex mirrors 3”, 5”, 7”, 9”;
telescope; 12 chairs
Galileo is an immersive installation of photographs, mirrors, a telescope and chairs. The dominant image in the exhibition is a photographic portrait of a man looking through a telescope. The man, Eric Johnson, is Cypis’ version of “Galileo”. The telescope serves as a surrogate eye seeming to pierce the surface of the photograph, reaching out towards what he sees. Across from him are clusters of circular cropped photographs and mirrors appearing like molecules, cells, or galaxies. Johnson chose images from the public domain to represent him, which the artist cropped. To gallery viewers they appear familiar yet ultimately undecipherable.
In an adjacent room are 3 clusters of 4 chairs, each chair different from the other. During the exhibition Cypis presented performances and public workshops on difference and social relations.