Jennifer Marman & Daniel Borins | Three Dimensions
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Contemporary Calgary 701 11 Street SW, Calgary, Alberta
Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins, “bp Key,” 2022
acrylic on canvas, 30 1/4" x 38" (courtesy of the Gallery)
Three Dimensions is an exhibition showcasing the multidisciplinary art practice of Jennifer Marman & Daniel Borins. The show features three installations: Balancing Act, THX2020, and ABCD, which combine painting, sculpture, kinetics, interactivity, virtual reality, and video.
Balancing Act consists of a user-controlled large-scale claw crane game where participants can stack sculptural components and create ad-hoc compositions. Accompanying the installation are paintings depicting various combinations of the sculptures. THX2020 is an interconnected installation that combines paintings, narrative video, and an interactive headset that responds to bio-feedback by moving shapes on video screens. ABCD is a multidimensional installation incorporating diverse mediums, including AI and VR that deftly juxtaposes physical and virtual realities while exploring otherworldly absurdity.
Taken together, Three Dimensions emphasizes viewer participation and explores themes of authenticity, agency, and the digital age through performativity and interactivity. Like many of their previous works, the installation references high and popular culture, combining science fiction, politics, and current events in a pop-minimalist setting where symbols are equalized in hierarchy. For Marman and Borins, the exhibition aims to disrupt traditional notions of reality – whether authentic or synthetic – and present dimensions that challenge the viewer’s perception. With an emphasis on engagement, the artists prompt contemplation around visual language, mass media, consumerism, and the ways in which images circulate in the information age.