The 59th Minute: The Forest
Carlos Amorales
November 1, 2004-January 31, 2005
Times Square
Image courtesy of Carlos Amorales
Carlos Amorales’s The Forest, screened as The 59th Minute video throughout the winter of 2004 and 2005, represented the artist’s first foray into the realm of animation. Shifting from the performance arena where he had gained international attention for his Devil Dances and Amorales vs. Amorales wrestling performances, the artist utilized the graphic medium to expand upon the live-action aspects of his previous work. The result was a new kind of virtual performance.
The piece, a dreamlike, occasionally menacing sequence of symbolic images, created a pervasive sense of apprehension and foreboding in the viewer. The imagery was drawn from Amorales’s archive of Mexican iconography and symbols from his previous apocalyptic installations combined with universal icons of pop culture. Purposely designed to confound any attempt at linear narrative analysis, the animation encouraged the audience to free associate and explore the concepts of identity and the language of art. With its frenzied pace and stark, broadly drawn imagery Amorales’s video thrived in the chaotic atmosphere of Times Square.