Julien Bismuth

Julien Bismuth’s second solo at Simone Subal extends his preoccupation with how and why we communicate, and is well worth the slow, considerate attention it demands. Two videos-of a man reading a book and a woman watching a film-portray subjects absorbed in a personal experience, while a pair of headphones hanging in the center of the gallery invites us to isolate ourselves in a similar way to take in an audio monologue about ambition. The walls are printed with high-contrast silkscreened images of hands (the screens used for printing are also hanging nearby). Is this a sign language open for interpretation? Or an opaque play of shadows?