NYAB Event - Shana Moulton “Morphing Essence Syndrome”

Shana Moulton “Morphing Essence Syndrome”

Smack Mellon

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“Morphing Essence Syndrome” features several new videos presented in a dynamic installation designed specifically for Smack Mellon. These new videos have been created over the past year and this will be their first gallery presentation in New York. Each video features my alter ego Cynthia, which I’ve been developing over the past 12 years in my video and performance series, “Whispering Pines.”

In “Restless Leg Saga” (2012) Cynthia seeks a cure for her Restless Legs Syndrome in televised pharmaceutical ads and the pages of Prevention Magazine. During a sleepless moment in the bathroom, mystic truths are revealed to Cynthia in the form of poetry written and read by New York poet John Coletti. Therapeutic release is achieved through AION A, a healing mineral discovered by Swiss artist Emma Kunz.

Cynthia experiences an identity crisis triggered by shopping in “Unique Boutique” (2013). Upon entering a clothing boutique she is confronted with a relentless runway show of animated clothing. After trying on a piece of clothing she experiences an endless parade of fantasy identities until the Ami chant from Enigma’s Return to Innocence leads Cynthia to a mountain top where she performs a cathartic dance. Unable to afford most things in the shop, she purchases a bubble-wrap decoration with a mysterious function.

The video “Swisspering” (2013) is framed by the act of applying and removing makeup. As the makeup is removed with a product called Swisspers, the body is, in effect, carved away. Through this act, I investigate Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), defined as the physical sensation of pleasurable tingling that begins on the scalp and moves throughout the body that is often triggered by whispering. By illustrating the process of carving away the body to reveal spiritual essence, I investigate the how we relate our outer and inner selves.

Shana Moulton grew up near Yosemite, California, and lives and works in New York. She earned her BA from University of California, Berkeley, in Art and Anthropology and her MFA from Carnegie Mellon University. She has been an artist-in-residence at the LMCC Workspace Program, Smack Mellon, The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Harvestworks, De Ateliers in Amsterdam and The Sommerakademie in Bern. Moulton has exhibited or performed at The New Museum, MoMA P.S.1, Performa 2009, The Kitchen, Electronic Arts Intermix, Art in General, SFMOMA, The Andy Warhol Museum, The Wexner Center for the Arts, Wiels Center for Contemporary Art in Brussels, The Migros Museum in Zurich and De Appel in Amsterdam, among others. Moulton’s work has been reviewed in the Village Voice, Artforum, the Brooklyn Rail, the New York Times, Artnet Magazine, Frieze Magazine, Art Review, Artpress and Flash Art. She is a 2013 Creative Capital grantee and is a featured artist on Art21’s New York Close Up.