This year the theme for BLACK is the ‘silver edge,’ and Pollack wanted to find a way to reflect the sense of gloom that’s taken the country, but also offer a sense of hope to combat it. “Our times right now are kind of dark, whether it’s politically, or you think of things with AI, and digital, and deep fakes, and I think a lot of people are questioning what’s real, where are we going as a society, and are we going in the right direction. BLACK is a dark concept and I want it to be edgy and provocative, but I also wanted it to have an uplifting feel to it, so the silver edge is about getting through the darkness and finding the silver lining, and this edge that is illuminating.”
That will be achieved with a selection of artists who have brought light-focused works to the space. Dutch collective Children of the Light have created a site-specific piece for the event that will occupy the main space. Japanese artist Shohei Fujimoto uses mirrors and a moving laser projection to create a transforming, changing image. Another highlight is Glenn Kaino’s American flags, flags which were treated in a unique dyeing process that makes the flag look like black and white tie-dye, but when light passes through it the shadow still appears as the regular stars and stripes. “To me that was an amazing representation of our country getting messed up and fucked up and destroyed but still retaining its identity in some way and how people are connected.”
“We’ve got artists who are pushing the boundaries,” Pollack says with zeal, and his hope for BLACK is that it becomes an even bigger platform for artists. This year MATTE partnered with auction house Phillips to curate the artists, with the goal of showcasing both established and emerging artists side-by-side. “We want to have larger installations that can live for a longer time period and then actually program music and other kinds of programming into a multi-day, if not multi-week experience.” For now guests will get to experience it over two-days at Avant Gardner, with DJs including The Blaze, Guy Gerber, and DJ Seinfeld. But as the soundscapes envelop the crowd, the light installations will serve as the focal points, and bring balance to the event. “As it’s evolved, what’s been interesting about what black represents is it’s the absence of light. That’s why we always play with light installations, and contrast the duality of light and dark.”
BLACK takes place at Avant Gardner April 4th & 5th. Tickets can be purchased here.