BEZOZON was the inaugural exhibition at our Forest Park gallery (2020-2024).

The exhibition opened on February 21, 2020, right before the pandemic arrived and we adopted innovative new ways to present exhibitions under those circumstances. This is what we announced for that exciting milestone:

Vinegar is pleased to introduce a new exhibition space, Vinegar Contemporary, where we will showcase artists who are working in emerging and experimental art forms, and art that pushes the boundaries of its medium. This may include installation, video, new media, performance, ephemeral objects, etc. The inaugural exhibition is BEZOZON, an installation and interactive virtual reality experience by artist Tess Elliot. The exhibition reception for BEZOZON is also the grand opening for Vinegar Contemporary.

BEZOZON is a multimedia installation featuring a virtual reality (VR) experience within a sculptural light installation. The work is grounded in research into late capitalism’s adverse global impacts. It is intended to be a subversive new media experience, signaling caution towards the seduction of Big Tech’s services and advanced technologies. BEZOZON uses visual elements and narratives associated with Amazon.com and Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave to represent these themes.

Tess Elliot (b. Queens, NY, 1985) is Assistant Professor of Art, Technology, & Culture at the University of Oklahoma. She received her BFA from the Cooper Union in 2008 and her MFA from the Ohio State University in 2017. Her multidisciplinary practice involves animation, VR, sculpture, installation, and film. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, most recently at Aggregate Space Gallery in Oakland, CA, and the Ann Arbor Film Festival in Ann Arbor, MI. She has upcoming exhibitions in Toronto, ON, Tulsa, OK, Columbus, OH, and Nashville, TN.

BEZOZON by Tess Elliot