James Nares, "1976: Films and Other Works"

These days, Nares is known primarily for large paintings featuring a single brushstroke limned in a brilliant color (created by literally suspending himself over the canvas, using a harness attached to the ceiling). But he has always been interested in the effects of bodies in motion and the lyricism found therein. These early movies (accompanied in this show by related photos and drawings) were created outdoors, at a time when lower Manhattan had been all but abandoned to a small community of artists. This situation afforded an open-air studio for Nares and such kinetic experiments as his weight swinging over an empty street, captured here in a film titled Pendulum.