Art review: John Jurayj at Walter Maciel Gallery
April 26, 2010 | 8:00
pm
Taken from newspapers and other archival sources, the images depict isolated men, women and children — all civilians — photographed where they fell. Jurayj has turned the bodies upright as if willing them back to life, but they resist, appearing to float inertly in midair. He has also printed them in negative, which gives them an otherworldly glow.
The works are further activated by the viewer’s presence — the steel is polished to a mirror finish so you can see your distorted reflection alongside each victim. It’s a discomfiting experience to see yourself so sheepishly alive among ghosts.
– Sharon Mizota
Walter Maciel Gallery, 2642 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., (310) 839-1840, through May 15. Closed Sundays and Mondays. www.waltermacielgallery.com
Images: Untitled (Girl With Shorts), top, and installation view of John Jurayj's "Untitled (Undead)," 2010. Photos: Courtesy of Walter Maciel Gallery.