Momentum is defined as "mass in motion." Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The juxtaposition of tangible reality against celebrated illusion has made animation one of the most high-impact visual art forms of modern times. The exhibit Momentary Momentum: Animated Drawings, currently on display at the Parasol Unit Foundation in London, U.K. until Sunday, April 15, underscores this duality of movement and innovation.
Code Z notes the inclusion of Kara Walker in the exhibit, represented by a black and white "moving picture," which continues the artist's obsessions with African-American history and the formal technique of the silhouette.
Co-curated by Ziba de Weck Ardalan and Laurence Dreyfus, Momentary Momentum is composed of a series of special installations and films screened in the gallery, including work by a emerging animation artists. The exhibition also includes an animation video installation by Francis Alÿs, an animated film by William Kentridge, and a short animation by David Shrigley, while rising stars in animation from around the world display their work. From the cel format of traditional animation to the lifelike figures of 3-D computer animation now predominating the silver screen, this illusion of force continues to provide, in so many mediums, the springboard for which artists moves their own thoughts from illusion to possibility.
