Much of contemporary photography and video seems haunted by the past, by ghostly apparitions that are reanimated in reproductive media, as well as in live performance and the virtual world. By using dated, passé, or quasiextinct stylistic devices, subject matter and technologies, this art embodies a melancholic longing for an otherwise unrecuperable past. Haunted examines the myriad ways photographic imagery is incorporated into recent practice and in the process underscores the unique power of reproductive media while documenting a widespread contemporary obsession with documenting the past. The works included in the exhibition range from individual photographs and photographic series, to sculptures and paintings that incorporate photographic elements, to videos, film, performance and site-specific installations. Drawn primarily from the Guggenheims collection, Haunted features recent acquisitions, many of which will be exhibited by the museum for the first time.
