Caryatid (Hatton) | Paul PFEIFFER (2015)

Paul Pfeiffer

Caryatid (Hatton), 2015

Digital video loop, 5" LCD screen in custom 3D printed, painted resin shell, media player , Pelican hard case

17.6 x 27 x 24.6 cm | 6 15/16 x 10 5/8 x 9 11/16 inch

Edition of 1

Courtesy Perrotin

This series of small, tabletop video installations show moving image sequences of boxers being punched in slow motion HD. In these lush and brutal sequences, the image of impact becomes the object of focus. The attacking opponent has been erased leaving the receiver of blows alone in the spotlight, body twisting and crumpling as it is hit again and again by an invisible force. This eternally recurring moment of their tragic and ineluctable failures calls attention to the audience’s observation and allows the audience to question in what way they view these contemporary heroes.

The title of the work references the caryatids of antiquity, sculpted female figures that support architectural framework in place of a column. These figures, used to hold up monumental Greek temples and structures, exist throughout history.