Mirko Martin: Noir

Noir: It sounds like some sexy new perfume, or a retro theatrical thriller. In reality, the darkness in question enshrouds plenty of danger and menace, but no glamour. German artist Mirko Martin created Noir, a video documentation of a night during his stay in Los Angeles in 2008. Or rather, its audio: police helicopters hovering to monitor gang activity, gunshots and discussions with residents and passersby speculating on what happened, based on what little sensory input they had. A black screen stands in for the environment around them that offered little clue about what they had only partially witnessed. It’s about trying to piece together a meaningful picture of the world with inadequate information, a metaphor for what we all are trying to do on some level. “Martin plays with our sense of language and imagination, sound and sight, presence and absence, locality and cultural representation, in a seriously thoughtful way,” notes guest curator Natasha Becker. “In Noir, ‘being in the dark’ is simply not an option.” The show is part of the Salt Lake Art Center’s New Genres Gallery, which features inventive new video works by internationally renowned artists. A 2005 Fulbright scholar, Martin’s work has been shown in Europe and Japan. The First Friday opening night for Noir on Friday, Dec. 2, features DJ Mr. Jesse Walker, a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres. (Brian Staker) Mirko Martin: Noir @ Salt Lake Art Center, 20 S. West Temple, 801-328-4201, Dec. 2-Jan. 21, free; opening reception, Dec. 2, 8-10 p.m., SLArtCenter.org