Art Review

Action Reaction
by Adrian Lee
ISBN-10: 0972857818
Review by Heather Froeschl

Newton's Third Law states that, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." I don't wholly agree with that as concept as I feel that acts of war bring on reactive acts of war. So a better quote might be: For every action there is an equal reaction. One can't be certain that this is what Adrian Lee had in mind when creating his work "Action Reaction," but this is what came to my mind when viewing it.

"Action Reaction" is an artistic expression in the form of a 20-foot accordion book. The life size work took up an entire gallery, but in book form it just takes up your entire mind for a while. The work is captivating and raw in the sense that it is bold and truthful. What you see in it is up to you. What I see in it is a reaction to the world as it stands today. In the aftermath of 9-11, in the shadows of war in Iraq, in the depths of the Bush presidency and in the grasp of capitalism, we stand, and Adrian Lee has held a mirror up for us to see the world around us. It isn't pretty.

The artist's stated objective for "Action Reaction" is thus: "Assemble the incalculable bombardment of information that composes an infinite web of trip wires within the brain. Take these paranoid synapses and construct a visual panorama. Highlighting the obvious that is constantly subverted by corporate and governmental (same) interests. A visual display/panorama, the sum of which is fully intended to expose the underbelly of the beast."

The book comes in a box set, accompanied by an assortment of stickers and a patch sporting the logo of skull and crossbones, along with a DVD documentary of the artistic endeavor, two gallery receptions and a time lapsed viewing of the actual painting of the work. All in all it is quite an eyeful...a mind full.

Thought provoking doesn't quite grasp the power of the work. This is more of a call for reaction. In any event, you won't soon forget your experience with this book, nor the name of Adrian Lee. This is a powerful glimpse into one person's political views and his expression of the same in art form.