4/5 Stars
If Christos was anti-market incarnate then B.Ho is Cuban at Shark tank. You want to profit and enjoy my legacy? Fuck you! Not before I do first!
B.Ho's installation titled 'Black Box' in reference to black box flight recorders is ironically primarily shades of white and grey with splashes of coalesced neon lit blue and red shadows. The rectangular room is sparely filled with modern abstractedly shaped sculptures with led screens held up by their non-repeating curvatures. The space isn't massive but feels like it, the empty space seems to hang on a delicate balance that you're almost sure to interrupt. Even when viewing the installation alone it's as if your presence in the room is just one above the maximum occupancy.
The rough cement floor is filled with equidistant raised bumps, they're seemingly randomly placed though I would remiss to say that anything included in the room is placed without forethought. Their lack of clear reasoning means that as you walk through the installation you are abruptly reminded with every few steps that you've entered someone else's domain.
It's not until you draw near to the walls that it's obvious that there are projections being cast upon the walls, the bright crisp lighting makes the projections seem faded and dull, barely visible. There are soft not quite melodic tones being hummed out by the walls as well easily missed when first entering the room or when experiencing with a crowd.
For a collection that explores legacy, at least in the art space B.Ho doesn't have much of one. A relative newcomer with this being his debut piece in the limelight, in an almost 'notice me' exclamation 'Black Box' aims to serve as both question and answer. To be the critically acclaimed artwork in the present while calling into question the stewardship and legacy that it will one day leave behind. It's not for everyone and leaves a bad taste in your mouth for some people. Not for me though, while some may come just to experience the space, ironically to take some pictures for their social media profiles, for me it's an oddly introspective and lonely experience but in the best way possible. I won't get into the technical meandering and try to explain the nuances of blockchain that've been incorporated instead I'll just tell you how I felt entering and how I felt leaving. I walked in not knowing what to expect, not knowing who B.Ho was. and despite being surrounded by afterimages of his presence and guiding hand in design principles I left not knowing him but feeling like I had met him before if only in passing.
On the opening of this exhibition Brian noted that this would be his first and only exhibition. While lauded as an 'experiential nft' and a celebration of agency the mood feels anything but, if what he says is true, make no mistake we are at a funeral.
-Jerry Saltz
