In Black Hole Son, Pete Burkeet takes the viewer on a visual rollercoaster of disastrous spectacle in American consumerism and culture. In 1986, Ohio released 1.5 million balloons, which caused an environmental catastrophe; 16 years later at Big Boom Bay, SanDiego a 17 minute firework display exploded in less than a minute. Both events are lost to history but exemplary in their examples of the consequences of American Industrialism. Through the combination of moving paintings and processed videos, we experience an unfolding of surreal and eerie images that compose a horrific lens–one that strips away wonder and extravagance.
See our interview with Pete Burkeet here.
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Pete Burkeet is an artist who makes paintings and videos that explore the products of mediated social experiences including magical thinking, escapism, anxiety, and neglect. His work has exhibited internationally with shows at festivals, museums, and galleries. Some past shows include CutOut Festival Mexico City, Milwaukee Underground Film Festival, London Experimental Film Festival, and Plexus Projects in Brooklyn, New York. He lives and works in Columbus, Ohio.
