seeking liberation from the physical ::

The Out-of-Body

...The United States and Japan have become unlikely twins. Both their countries complain about their weak economies while harboring lifestyles and habits of consumption that are unheard of in most of the world. Both countries are looking back to a past of accelerated economic growth and power, which is not unlike looking back at the prowess of youth when we reach a certain age. Both countries are obsesssed with fictions, dreams, cartoons and hallucinations. The steely work ethic of bygone times is infiltrated with escapist fantasies. America has its Hollywood and Japan has its Manga. Both countries incubated the seeds of their culture of hallucination during their periods of relentless growth so that in their declines they could enjoy it full blown like a post-coital cigarette...

...Perhaps both cultures are seeking a final liberation from the physical. The final Out-of-Body experience is the ultimate moment when our heads swell up like balloons and float our minds away. What is that disembodied voice at the other end of the telephone? It floats in the void, it communicates outside the physical, it is the Out-of-Body version of the self. If we could only be that voice to ourselves and loose the excess baggage we'd really be flying.

:: Matthew Weinstein

:: :: Artist's Statement, The Out-of-Body, Sonnabend: 2005.