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Art Art & Books

Visionary voids

Lynne Cohen at Olga Korper (17 Morrow) to December 3. 416-538-8220. Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNNN


lynne cohen’s large-scale photographs celebrate human achievement minus the humans.She photographs places where we hone our skills, alter ourselves or our world — testing facilities, laboratories and spas.

Shot after the people have vacated the premises, the pictures feel empty, cold and dispassionate — like a Stanley Kubrick movie.

In one shot of a military facility, a burly tank sits in a low-roofed warehouse. Rows of fluorescent lights barely clear the turret. It faces a cheery piece of scenery as if targeting the only innocence in sight.

Cohen records a fascinating composition in a soundproof room. A dummy’s blue torso and head rest on a cart in the centre of a thickly insulated room. Three concert-sized speakers surround the figure menacingly — each no more a few steps away — ready to unleash a sonic assault.

Bathed in whites and blues, a clinical spa feels all the more sterile without any human presence. Rows of lounge chairs sit empty, waiting.

While most of these are colour photos, a few are black-and-white, and most of these just don’t resonate as much as the others.

An exception is a photo of a police shooting range where five small round targets are set on poles in a large empty space. The targets are painted white to jump out from the background, and the black-and-white photo highlights the contrast. One pole is longer than the others, breaking the pattern.

It’s a masterfully composed piece by a master composer.thmoas@sympatico.ca

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