The title of Christopher Roth’s solo exhibition “Blow Out” references the classic 1966 film “Blow-Up” by Michelangelo Antonioni.The German film director, writer and artist has transformed Esther Schipper Gallery in Berlin into an installation.Roth creates a video which is inspired by the director’s works and life. In a series of surreal shots, “Blow Out” shows a dilapidated villa which was originally designed for Antonioni and his partner at the time, Monica Vitti, by Dante Bini. The couple broke up even before the home was finished, and the house has remained uninhabited throughout the years. The location of “Blow Out” serves as a basis for a philosophical essay on self, displacement and the idea of space in cinema.Roth decorates the exhibition room with props and wall paintings echoing the colors used in his video. The artist argues that cinema creates an illusion which causes the spectator’s space to merge with the space of the cinematic work. The viewer feels as if he or she was part of the video.The non-linear narrative of the video reinforces the atemporal character of the space which it portrays. Archival footage of Vitti is interspersed with contemporary scenes filmed with Vera von Lehndorff, a German model known as Veruschka, who had a brief but memorable role as a fashion model seduced by a fashion photographer’s camera in “Blow-Up.”“Blow Out” presents a complex web of references, at the same time showcasing Roth’s talents as a filmmaker.Christopher Roth’s “Blow Out” featuring Ver(uschk)a is at Esther Schipper Gallery, Schöneberger Ufer 65, D-10785 Berlin, from January 22 to February 27, 2016.
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