Gary Hill at Fondation Cartier: Art, Power, and Gold

Gary Hill's exhibition at Fondation Cartier in Paris (October 27, 2006 – February 4, 2007) features the new installation Frustrum, which explores the relationships between art, power, and money through the prism of gold, black gold, and vulgarity. The work includes a video projection of an imperial eagle trapped in a pyramid structure, reflected in a rectangular basin of industrial oil, evoking the American empire and ancient Rome. The second room, Guilt, presents telescopes focusing on 24-carat gold coins inscribed with phrases like "Art is a worthless body" and "In God we trust" parody, alongside self-violent images of the artist. The exhibition was conceived following Hill's 2005 performance Dark Resonances at the Colosseum in Rome, which drew parallels between the 21st-century American empire and the Roman Empire. Critic Chris Darke notes the rare physical incorporation of the viewer. The show occupies two ground-floor rooms; the basement featured Japanese artist Tabaimo.