The exhibition is part of a long cooperation between Sapir college and Be’eri Gallery. Sherry Baruch graduated Cum Laude and recieved a scholarship to execute this exhibition.
“Trace of Doubt” is a gentle, poetic and touching video exhibition. It exhibits eight short video art works (2-3 minutes each, running in loop), showing moments in Baruch’s immediate surroundings. Light shining through a slightly open door, falling on objects casually standing there, lights from a car driving down the street entering her home, lights through half open blinds moving along a wall, shadows and flashes of light on a wall projected by a moving fan, a plant hanging from a balcony with water dripping down to the street below, a sweater hanging out to dry moving in the wind, menstral blood expanding though water, a stone lies on a pillow and the artist’s body in dance movements. The window of the gallery, with light shining through it into the darkness becomes part of the exhibition, confusing reality with the screened works.
Some of the works were shot with no prior thought, using the camera in her smart phone and are unedited. Other works with a repetitive nature were filmed and edited.
In the center of the exhibition stands a large white cube, its proportions resemble those of a bed, and where we would expect to see a pillow there is a video of a rock sitting on a pillow. It is the only video in the exhibition lacking movement and the rock on the pillow feels heavy. The sound in the gallery is a troubling noise of the rotating fan. An enigmatic white noise, stopping every few minutes, allowing us to realize the relief we feel with its absence.
The works lack a timeline or narrative, they depict moments, short and minimal fractions of reality. But they tune our awareness to the mundane, our surroundings, paying attention to subtle near invisible nuances. At times they reach deep with the truth they portray, the revealing of existential loneliness. In only one video we see a human figure, it is that of the artist practicing recurring dance moves- bending, stretching, crouching, legs meeting together. An imperfect woman figure, not wearing ballet clothes, convincing with its humble and intimate authenticity.
The feelings are those of anxiety and doubt, shadows in personal spaces, small moment the artist tensely follows trying to relieve the overflow of emotions. Does she succeed?
