In conjunction with the Collection Exhibition 2025-II, we present a screening of video works by Dennis Oppenheim. The work exhibited in this exhibition was created in the late 1960s, a period when the artist established his style of documenting Land Art through photographs and text.
This time, we present five video works Oppenheim shot between 1970 and 1971. In Air Pressure (Hand), which captures the surface of a hand rippling under air pressure, and Nail Sharpening, which shows a scene of nails being sharpened, the human body’s various transformations are captured with a gaze that seems to observe them meticulously. In Lead Sink For Sebastian, a small torch fixed to the performer’s left leg melts a lead pipe attached to his right leg as a prosthetic, documenting the resulting shifts in posture and bodily balance. These works clearly reflect the artist’s interest in exploring the boundaries of certain physical transformation. In Gingerbread Man, where a human-shaped gingerbread is consumed, the focus of this exploration turns inward toward the digestive process. Meanwhile, Fusion: Tooth And Nail presents an experiment involving the bizarre act of layering paint over superimposed teeth and nails.
Screened Works
1. Air Pressure (Hand), 1971, color/silent, 5’25”
2. Lead Sink For Sebastian, 1970, color/silent, 4’42”
3. Nail Sharpening, 1970, color/silent, 6’02”
4. Gingerbread Man, 1970-71, b&w/silent, 8’45”
5. Fusion: Tooth And Nail, 1970, color/silent, 12’03”
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Screening of Dennis Oppenheim
Exhibition Period｜ November 18, 2025 – February 1, 2026
Opening Hours｜ 10:00-17:00
Closed｜ Mondays (except November 24, January 12), November 25, December 27—January 1, 13
Venue｜ Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Media Library
Admission｜ Free
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