Jonathan Horowitz: And/Or

This book was published on the occasion of the exhibition Jonathan Horowitz: And/Or at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, February 22- September 14, 2009. Orienting himself firmly in the media-present, New York artist Jonathan Horowitz replays the recent past in the incarnations of our times. This reprisal occurs particularly in video works such as “Maxell,” in which the name of the now obsolete videotape company is worn down to a VHS blur, and “The Soul of Tammi Terrell”, in which 1960s footage of the eponymous pop star singing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” is juxtaposed with Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon’s rendition of the song in the 1998 film Stepmom. Horowitz himself makes no overt political critique, but always ensures that the work’s underlying edge is laid plainly before the viewer. Queer and ecological themes also abound, as does sly humor and a Warholian detachment. This is the first thorough survey of Horowitz’s work.