Life Cycle

Remember when life was measured in 2MB floppy disks? That all feels so ridiculous now —using something ten times bigger than a flash drive to transfer a thousand times less information. But there’s also something sad about the life cycle of technology. And for London artist Nick Gentry, who was...

By Amanda McCorquodale

August 18, 2011

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Remember when life was measured in 2MB floppy disks? That all feels so ridiculous now —using something ten times bigger than a flash drive to transfer a thousand times less information. But there’s also something sad about the life cycle of technology. And for London artist Nick Gentry, who was born around the same time the floppy disk became ubiquitous for personal use — the early ’80s — the 3.5-inch pieces of plastic are symbolic of the harsh world of obsolescence. The Central Saint Martins graduate paints somber, Generation X portraits on canvases made from floppy disks, whose metal hub serves as the subject’s startlingly dilated eye. Adding to his haunting renderings are the handwritten labels on the disks and the way the disks’ original blue, black, or gray color contributes to the composite form. His first U.S. solo show opens at the Robert Fontaine Gallery this Thursday with a reception and will be on display through September 2.
Thu., Aug. 25, 7 p.m., 2011

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