Скачать или смотреть Exploring New York Chelsea Galleries | July 2024 | Harun Farocki

Chelsea in New York is a renowned area where top global galleries are concentrated, offering art viewers the opportunity to explore various artworks in a single visit.

Although the last week of the month is generally less ideal for gallery visits due to preparations for new exhibitions, I made the most of my limited time by visiting several galleries during the final week of July.

At Lisson Gallery, Hiroshi Sugimoto's new color exhibition presents works derived from the artist’s custom-designed prism within his “Optiks” series.

My final stop was the Greene Naftali Gallery, where I saw Harun Farocki's "Respite" (2007).
This silent black-and-white film uses footage from Westerbork, a Dutch camp set up in 1939 to assist Jews fleeing Germany. After the Nazis took over the Netherlands in 1942, a German officer later instructed Jewish prisoner Rudolph Breslauer to film for propaganda purposes.

At first, the footage makes the camp look peaceful and normal, but Farocki's commentary and editing reveal the harsh truth. The true function of the camp becomes evident, especially in scenes where seemingly harmless trains are shown to actually take the Jewish people to death camps.

These documentaries serve as haunting reflections on history's darkest chapters, leaving a lasting impact on our collective memory.