Peter Sarkisian's Video Projections at Galerie Nathalie Obadia

Peter Sarkisian (born 1965) presents video installations at Galerie Nathalie Obadia in Paris from May 31 to July 18, 2001. His work projects video onto objects (tables, suitcases, bowls, cushions) and sculptural forms (cubes, columns), creating a fusion between video and object that transcends mere technological experimentation. Unlike Tony Oursler's conflictual tension between projection and object, Sarkisian aims for a seamless illusion of physical presence. The key work "Strand" (2001) features a black curtain leading to a dark space with a translucent column at center. A cacophonous flow of speech fills the space, then intensifies as two naked bodies suddenly fall through the column before disappearing. The fall of male and female bodies at various ages repeats at irregular intervals. Moving around the column, visitors experience bodies emerging from a mysterious interior, forgetting the four projectors in each corner. This fusion creates an ambiguous, mesmerizing experience. While reminiscent of Bill Viola's multi-sensory installations, Sarkisian's work lacks Viola's spiritual quest, instead engaging the viewer in a philosophical reflection on being, time, and memory, paralleling Henri Bergson's concept of the reversibility of the present. A catalogue was published for his previous exhibition at Musée Picasso d'Antibes, with texts by Dan Cameron and Thierry Davila.