Guy Ben-Ner, ‘Stealing Beauty’ in ‘Idea is the Object’ at D’Amelio Gallery

Guy Ben-Ner, 'Stealing Beauty,' video, 2007.
Guy Ben-Ner, ‘Stealing Beauty,’ video, 2007.

Imagine perusing bedroom sets in IKEA and finding a quarrelling married couple bedding down for the night.  Israeli artist Guy Ben-Ner is half of the couple starring in his own hilarious 18 minute 2007 video ‘Stealing Beauty’ that he shot without permission with a small camcorder in IKEA stores in New York, Berlin and Tel Aviv.  As he, his wife and two kids discuss the ramifications of capitalism on their family life, they pretend to read from the store’s libraries, shower in the bathroom and sip drinks in the kitchen, creating a provocative dissonance between public and private life and questioning the personal impact of political ideology. (‘Stealing Beauty is in ‘Idea is the Object’ at D’Amelio Gallery, Chelsea, through Aug 24th).