Alexander and Bonin

Willie Doherty’s ‘Ghost Story’ was the highlight of Venice Biennale 2007. A master at evoking paranoia and passive aggression out of plain landscape, his new video installation ‘Buried’ moves slowly through a dim wooded area where nothing happens but hints menacingly at recent human activity (the title ‘Buried’ hinting that someone was recently killed and buried). Willie Doherty was born in Derry in Northern Ireland. As a child, he witnessed Bloody Sunday in Derry, and many of his works deal with The Troubles.
Willie Doherty is one of those rare people who comes along and justifies the entire field of contemporary art. Yes, after all those questions about the purpose of contemporary art (changing media culture or providing a respite from daily stress), its worthwhileness (my whip-​sharp critical theory instructor in art school said he can do without the last 50 years of contemporary art… a professor in art school!), its audience (to be accessible to the public or to be inventive and risk not making sense to people outside the field), the inscrutable ‘artspeak’ (there’s no excuse for this one: why not be vivid??)… Willie Doherty does for contemporary art what Picasso did for modern art.
A short excerpt from ‘Ghost Story’ is on youtube — keep in mind that normally it is shown in a darkened space on a big screen like a theater, with impeccable video and sound quality that creates a riveting experience…

A contemporary art gallery featuring artists from around the world, A & B is a worthwhile visit — check out their website
for an updated exhibition schedule…