Purple Art
[March 8 2017]
Tommy Malekoff “Perennial Shadows” at Jeffrey Stark Gallery, New York
“Perennial Shadows” provides an emerald portrait of the invasive vine, kudzu, in North Carolina. A decorative plant native to Japan, Kudzu was originally introduced in the American Southeast during the dust-bowl to prevent erosion. The vine quickly covered millions of acres, smothering native flora and overtaking the landscape. Many of the shots in Tommy Malekoff’s film use a static frame so that only the play of wind on the leave suggests that it’s video, creating a living photograph of something eternal in its persistence to renew. The lush vistas belie the vine’s desolation. “Perennial Shadows” features an original score by Joe Williams with a reading by Project Pat.
Text and Photo Elise Gallant
