Mark Shorter: Dry Gulch

Overview

Dry Gulch is the latest show from the unsettling, dark humour-loving artist Mark Shorter. In a work specifically created for Boxcopy, he'll be blocking off the space from all natural light, inviting you inside, and darting around in the dark. In a surreal and unique process, audience members will spend the time catching fleeting glimpses of Shorter and wildly trying to keep their nerves in check.

Strangely enough, this isn’t a concept new to the artist — his 2012 performance Dark Contact put him in a dingy hotel room for a day-long exhibition, and we're guessing he read a lot of RL Stine as a kid. Dry Gulch revisits the complexity of the historical relationships between two entities, as the artist's body exists within the gallery during each show. Spooky right?

The term 'dry gulch' itself means to sinisterly ambush, derived from the American West where outlaws would attack passer byers in dried up ravines and canyons. Think Red Redemption, Dances with Wolves, The Searchers etc. Therefore, it's safe to say this showing will be met with a bit of dry mouth and heavy sweats. Probably best to avoid it if you have a pacemaker.

Dry Gulch runs from 20 to 29 November with an artist conversation and drinks on November 30 at 4pm.