Message In a Bottle - Based on the lyrics of the song by The Police, the work meditates on the notion of isolation

Joseph Borzotta

Curated by Chris Burkhardt

At CUCHIFRITOS art gallery/project space.

February 5th - March 5th, 2005

Opening reception: Saturday February 5, 4-6pm
Open daily thereafter, Monday through Saturday 12:00 noon to 5:30pm. Closed Sundays

The artist plays with the idea of "an SOS to the world" to save him from despair and being "just a castaway, an island lost at sea." Messages here however, reflect modern despairs and dilemmas and can be read in turns as thoughtful, shocking, humorous, or darkly ironic.

Nowadays we are inundated by countless self-help programs such as books, seminars, infomercials, TV and radio talk shows. People are unabashed about airing their dirty laundry and speaking in a public forum about personal subjects, many of which were considered taboo in the past. In a hectic city like New York, everyday minor problems often take on cataclysmic proportions to the individual affected. It is not uncommon to hear that individual overreacting and venting into their cell phone, to authority, to friends/loved ones, or even strangers. There are also countless people who are facing serious life-affecting problems who feel they have no voice or are desperately trying to be heard.

Working with cast off glass and plastic water bottles, and notes within, this installation looks at despair in modern society and the need to reach out for help. Using the icon of the SOS note in a bottle from someone stuck on a desert island, but altered.

Global tourism sends people around the world to far flung reaches, yet this travel only provides a superficial geographical connection. In the facile surface dealings we are used to in contemporary society the failure of any real connection between individual and society provokes anxiety. With the amount of high technology and interactive communication available, the lack of connection becomes a virtual tragicomic farce.

Yet even with this impression there also exists a net of captured fears, hopes, and dreams - sealed, preserved, and waiting. With this comes a quiet expectancy, a sense of silence and even hope.

CUCHIFRITOS is a project of Artists Alliance Inc.

This exhibit was made possible by the following: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, LMCC's Fund For Creative Communities/NYSCA, The New York City Economic Development Corporation, The Puffin Foundation, the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, and the members of the Artists Alliance Incorporated.