Compassion, 2020
5 CRT TVs, 5 Atari 2600 games consoles, custom Atari cartridges, sound system
80 x 60 x 70 in.

Compassion is an installation made in 2020 during the global confinement. It is comprised of five CRT TVs with transparent cases connected to five Atari 2600 game consoles (circa 1977). Each game device holds an Atari cartridge programmed and assembled by the artist during the confinement year. Together, the TV monitors display the phrase "Compassion is the Divine Compass", an epiphany that the artist devised while meditating. The work is permeated with the looping sound of Tibetan bells.


The clear case TVs–which allow viewers to see the inside components–reference the prototype of the very first commercial TV introduced by RCA at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Despite their beauty, these televisions were originally produced for jails to prevent smuggling. All the TV sets used in this installation belonged to prison inmates across the US. Thus, Compassion operates as a transformative tool to redeem our own obsolescence and toxic behaviors.





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