Gretchen Bender Unmasks Media's Deceptions in 'The Perversion of the Visual'
On view at Sprüth Magers LA.
Sprüth Magers is presenting ‘The Perversion of the Visual,’ an essential exhibition showcasing Gretchen Bender’s work until August 10, 2024.
Bender, a key figure from the 1980s New York art scene, ripped into the sanitized world of TV, predicting today’s screen-obsessed culture. This is her second show with Sprüth Magers and her first in LA since 1989, spotlighting her fight against the glossed-over horrors and violence in media. In 1984, Bender shifted her focus to the corporate media landscape, dissecting cultural lies and anxieties using cutting-edge tech. She moved from silkscreens to multi-screen video setups, creating works like “Unprotected,” “Wild Dead,” and the thirteen-monitor “Dumping Core.”
One highlight in the exhibition is “Dumping Core” which blends computer animations, corporate logos, and war imagery, hitting viewers with a raw look at manipulated reality. And Bender’s pieces like “Hell Raiser” and “Gremlins” use brutal images from the Salvadoran Civil War, forces viewers to confront harsh truths often masked by mainstream media.
Altogether, Bender’s work is a relentless challenge to see beyond polished façades and grasp the gritty, unsettling reality beneath.
Sprüth Magers
5900 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
