Pipilotti Rist @ Hayward Gallery

The Lobe of Lung, 200

Pipilotti Rist’s Eyeball Massage scrutinizes female physicality in a visceral, yet strikingly beautiful way throughout the video installations scattered around the ground floor of the Hayward Gallery. The viewer is also invited to engage physically with the works exhibited. As we move through the space Rist plays with our perception of size, by creating kind of Alice-in-Wonderland-mushroom-trip-like situations, where the viewer either feels as he have grown or shrunk. An extreme example of this is the miniature installation Selfless in the Bath of Lava, in which a woman surrounded by hellfire cries for help; reaching out to the viewer, she begs forgiveness. One has to get down on the knees in order to watch the tiny video played through a peephole in the floor. This situation makes us feel gigantic and powerful. Contrary, The Lobe of Lung, which is projected on three huge wall-sized screens, portrays a woman walking through a field of tulips, who is so monumental that next to her one feels like a dwarf or an infant. It is this projection, which struck me the most, with its vibrant colours and seductive sound. I found myself sunk into a bed of pillows, completely relaxed and hypnotised by the video in a dreamy state of mind. Eyeball Massage delivers exactly what it promises. The show is a magnificent visual feast.

Selfless in the Bath of Lava, 1994

Administrating Eternity, 2011