William Kentridge, page six of SHEETS OF EVIDENCE, watermarked cotton, 2009 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Dieu Donné
315 West 36th St. between Eighth & Ninth Aves.
Monday-Saturday through April 24
212-226-0573
www.dieudonne.org
One of the myriad delights about South African visual artist William Kentridge is that he follows no conventions; he does things his own way, resulting in engaging and unique films, drawing, operas, one-man performances, and stereoscopic installations. For the past several years, he has been collaborating with Dieu Donné on an ambitious series of limited-edition books. Through March 27, SHEETS OF EVIDENCE, his latest such work consisting of unusual watermarked images on special handmade paper, is on view, offering an exciting glimpse into the mind and working process of the ingenious creator. The small gallery has laid out all eighteen sheets of images and text, each one propped against a lightbox so they can be more easily seen; the sparse scenes primarily depict a man and a woman experiencing love, eroticism, and death. Some of Kentridge’s studio materials can be examined at the front desk; be sure to ask the person there to explain how it’s all done, as the procedures are fascinating. Dieu Donné is also displaying THINKING IN WATER, a three-piece suite made by using copper wire and watermarks, and RECEIVER, a book consisting of twenty-three Kentridge etchings that accompany poems he selected by Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska; it’s so fragile that you have to wear white gloves in order to page through it. Whether you know anything about Kentridge or not, this show is a must-see.