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"Planet Heart" Nataša Prosenc Stearns Video Installation Installation on view March 12th to 28th Wallspace is proud to present “Planet Heart," the gallery's third video installation by artist Nataša Prosenc Stearns. “Planet Heart” was first conceived as part of a video installation "Wishing Well", shown at 2015 Venice Biennale exhibition "We Must Risk Delight", featuring 20 Artists from Los Angeles curated by Elizabeta Betinski of bardoLA. At Wallspace, the round semi-abstracted video of two open human heart muscles, synchronized with the sound of a water drop, is presented as a window installation. Nataša’s videos reside on the edge between the abstract and the figurative, so they often reveal themselves in layers. At first glance Planet Heart looks like a giant red globe recalling images of planet Earth or Mars. But it could also be the Japanese flag or the Chinese Yin-Yang sign. As we get closer, the soft liquid details and the unnerving movements of the image reveal yet another layer of the piece. It is now clear that it is something organic, scary and beautiful at the same time. The insides of the human body are easily mistaken for one another, so the viewers often ask: Is it a throat, a heart or a vagina? By playing with our unreliable visual memory the artist creates an abundance of layering implications. This strategy is in fact Nataša’s overall conceptual approach to visual expression, which is never illustrative or didactic. Instead of illuminating only the obvious romantic aspect of the piece, other layers reveal a complex mix of visceral, primordial and subliminal references. Responding to the anxieties and angst caused by the constant engagement with body-less cyberspace, Nataša’s camera is more than ever focusing on the human body. Nataša Prosenc Stearns was born in Slovenia and moved to the United States on a Fulbright Grant to pursue her MFA at CalArts. She is a recipient of the Soros Grant and the Durffee Foundation Grant, among others. She represented Slovenia at the 48th Venice Biennale. Her work was shown at ARCO Fair in Spain, in Douloun Museum of Art in Shanghai, in Tel Aviv Museum of Art in Israel, as part of the program of The European Capital of Culture and in numerous venues and festivals in the USA. Nataša currently lives and works in Venice, CA. The video installation will play every evening from dusk through the night until March 28th viewable from the sidewalk and within the gallery. Nataša's second video installation at Wallspace, "Vortex", was presented February 2013, also originally premiered at the Venice Biennial. Wallspace is a dynamic gallery on La Brea that shows art in a non-conventional setting. Hung salon style on 14' high walls, the gallery aims to create a floor-to-ceiling visceral experience. We are excited about finding new visions and contributing to the launch of careers whilst also representing more established Los Angeles based artists. We regularly present solo shows and have a permanent rotating collection of art on view.
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