Pipilotti Rist's 'Pixel Forest' at New Museum Offers Bodily Refuge in Trump Era

Pipilotti Rist's exhibition 'Pixel Forest' at the New Museum in New York City, running from October 26, 2016 to January 15, 2017, presents a sensory journey through installations that emphasize interiority and bodily experience. The show, located at 235 Bowery, features works such as 'Administrating Eternity' (2011) with transparent curtains and oval nature projections, and 'Pixel Forest' (2016), an LED installation with lounge areas. On the fourth floor, viewers lie on a bed looking up through moss-holes, simulating being inside a pond. Rist noted at the press preview, just before the U.S. elections, that most of her staff is female—a fact that gained significance after Donald Trump's victory. The exhibition reclaims the body's loving sexuality and beauty, contrasting with the external judgments of the political realm. Critic Naomi Lev draws parallels to Simone Weil's 'Gravity and Grace' and quotes comedian Louis C.K. on the missed opportunity of a female president.