Josephine Meckseper's Radical Chic at Elizabeth Dee Gallery

Josephine Meckseper's fourth solo exhibition at Elizabeth Dee Gallery in New York (May 8–July 16, 2010) transforms the space into a chrome-plated showroom blending heavy metal aesthetics with consumer critique. The German-born, US-based artist presents photos, videos, and vitrine installations that deconstruct American imperialism through its own glossy icons. The exhibition features neon floor lights, a quilted chrome ceiling, mirrored pedestals (a nod to Robert Barry), and wire racks displaying a chaotic mix of men's underwear, Supreme Court photos, Shiite protest images, car parts, orthopedic shoes, metal chains, women's stockings, papier-mâché sculptures, abstract paintings, sunglasses, and a lace frame under glass. Wall-mounted car cutaway plans and repeated images of luxury Cartier Santos and Tank watches reference the brand's 1917 creation honoring Allied forces. A video titled "DDYANLALSATSY" splices clips from "Dynasty" and "Dallas" with footage of US oil production and the Gulf of Mexico disaster, set to an acid house soundtrack. Another video, "Shattered Screen," shows a flickering image of a broken TV screen on the floor. The gallery window overlooks a women's prison, the Quiet Women's Prison, making the exhibition function ironically as a gift shop for the incarcerated. Meckseper's work is most effective when embracing superficiality rather than overt activism, as seen in her earlier video "Mall of America" (Whitney Biennial).