Drawing Restraint 7, originally shown in the 1993 Whitney Biennial, follows three “sailors” played by mythological satyr characters traveling in a limousine heading toward Manhattan. One of the characters chases his own tail while the other two engage in various wrestling holds, each trying to restrain the other’s head. The goal of this fight is to make a drawing on the roof of the limousine, but their attempts are continuously erased each time the car passes over a bridge or through a tunnel. The battle ends when one of the satyrs has his horns ripped off—a distinct metaphor for emasculation—and the entire cycle starts over again.
”NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star,” closing this Sunday, attempts to capture a specific moment at the intersection of art, pop culture, and politics.
This is one of Barney’s pieces that makes no sense unless you have a didactic description right there to explain it. (Who knew they were supposed to be “sailors”?) The video on its own is a little clunky.