On April 19, Basalt’s Art Base opened a new exhibition from local interdisciplinary artist Jahn Carlos Neri. The exhibition, titled “HYPERMNESIA,” has been in development for two years. It is an interactive, multisensory exploration of the impact of technology on our society and the nature and fragility of human memory. The exhibit combines virtual reality with panoramic images, video, graphic and sound design. Pieces include a QR code for folks who want to dive deeper.
“The goal here is to have a practice that permits these kinds of interdisciplinary intersections between art, technology and science,” gallery manager Erin Morrison told The Sopris Sun.
“The Art Base has historically been a space that has been open to all media,” she continued. “Still, because virtual reality and augmented reality is a new form of medium, it’s gonna be interesting to see how people take that in and experience it.”
In addition to doing art, Neri teaches art at Basalt High School. He is originally from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and splits his time between Mexico and the Valley. He received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí in 2017 and has now been in the Valley for two years.
Asked what inspired this exhibition, Neri said he started thinking about information and the similarities between how humans and technology observe, receive and store it.
“Right now, with technology, I have noticed that we have a boost of a lot of information, which is where the ‘hyper’ part comes from, and the ‘amnesia’ part of the title refers to memory,” Neri explained.
Along with the interactive exhibition, text accompanying each piece and special talks are all presented in both Spanish and English.
“Because [Jahn] is bilingual, we’re also making the artwork accessible to the Spanish-speaking community in that way,” Morrison stated. “He definitely wants to create an inclusive environment that is both interactive and multidisciplinary.”
Neri said that his teaching career inspired him to create this access point for Spanish-speaking members of the community.
“As a teacher, I realized that our population is very diverse, which is wonderful. I wanted to share my art with the community in the most accessible way possible,” he explained.
Neri’s work from the exhibition is available for purchase. The collection is “phygital,” meaning that both a physical and digital copy are acquired by purchasing a frame of the work as a non-fungible token, better known as an NFT. Neri said this element plays into the interactive nature of his work and he is hopeful that the community will come out to experience it.
“I think art can be shared in so many different ways, and I want to invite people to come and just experience this and see what happens. With this being interactive, I am looking for people to come out and share the excitement that I’m feeling,” he stated.
In addition to gratitude for Neri and all its exhibiting artists, the Art Base extends appreciation for Denise Taylor of Aspen Design House, the sponsor of “HYPERMNESIA.”
IN A NUTSHELL
The Art Base gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 5pm. “HYPERMNESIA” will remain on display through May 10.
For more information, visit @theartbase on Instagram or www.theartbase.org