You Are What
You Beat
By: Emily Morrison
01/23/2007
A detail from Ted EfremoffÕs i2i installation,
on view through February 3.
In an era of political upheaval and global violence,
the numbing effects of casualty counts and war propaganda can confound even the
most patriotic American. Our split political personality screams out for
consistency and searches for a sturdy definition of American identity. Yet,
ironically, thereÕs nothing like war to leave a permanent mark.
Connecticut-based Ted Efremoff explores the personal
and social implications of warfare in his installation at i2i gallery,
employing hand-drawn maps of the world, stickers, photography, and video to
reflect upon the personal travel diary of one United States soldier. Laden with
images of tattoos and scars from the soldierÕs body, the maps explore the
subjectÕs conflict-ridden personality. These ghastly, painful, and often eerily
playful forms permeate the borders of tumultuous nations such as Columbia,
Iraq, and Indonesia. The images redefine boundaries; country borders are no
longer simple lines, but a reflection of this soldier and his army.
The southern wall of the gallery features a
continental world map marked at various locations with tattooed red stars. The
northern wall, covered in a menagerie of fanciful winged devils, skulls, fish,
and images of the soldier, reveals an enlarged version of each starred site.
Images of the soldier in various poses is portrayed in birdÕs-eye perspective.
The figure often sits in a closed position with arms tightly wrapped around
drawn knees, ducking his head toward the earth. These photographs fail to offer
a full view of the soldierÕs face and his expressionless presence successfully
amplifies the emotional charge of the installation.
The many portraits of the soldier are surrounded by
images from his tattooed body. A trio of razors, bullets, and nails (a tattoo
from his left arm) marks the border of Panama and Columbia, while dancing
devils and ominous skulls dot the landscape of the Middle East. Perhaps the
most poignant image is the repeated undulating form of two Koi, beautifully
rendered in turquoise and cobalt; closer inspection, however, reveals a flaw. A
large pink oval gashes the abdomen of one fish, mirroring the scars that cover
the soldierÕs body — each shiny pink blemish is a reminder of the
repercussions of war. The juxtaposition of tattooed icons and war wounds not
only reflects the pain of the soldier, but the political turmoil surrounding
each country. Suddenly the tattooed figures reveal greater meaning. Dancing
devils now represent the conflict in Iraq as well as the conflicting elements
of the human psyche. Efremoff grafts the skin of this man onto each country,
creating a travel diary outlined in physical pain and emotional dichotomy.
Behind the Lines: Mapping
Identity Through Conflict
Through Feb 3
i2i gallery
2110 McCullough
©San Antonio Current 2007
http://www.sacurrent.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17740367&BRD=2318&PAG=461&dept_id=550942&rfi=6