“Desire Lines” by Tommy Malekoff

2019 · US · colour · 16’ · In competition

An ecstatic ode to the surreal potential of parking lots across America, in an infinite loop.

Desire Lines is a project by Tommy Malekoff that explores the open spaces surrounding small American commercial areas, particularly the parking lots around supermarkets, gas stations, and fast-food restaurants. Between August 2017 and March 2019, the artist traveled to nearly every region of the United States, observing and documenting subtle variations, oddities, and unique characteristics of these artificial landscapes, comparing them both to his personal memories and to materials found online.

Initially conceived as a series of isolated performances or independent “acts,” the project evolved into an ongoing cycle of interactions among humans, animals, and vehicles. Each presence reacts differently to the open spaces, generating unpredictable situations that reflect an experience of authentic freedom within a “non-place,” ordinary yet full of meaning. Desire Lines thus becomes an observation of spontaneous behaviors in environments designed for everyday functionality, highlighting how small architectural details and variations influence perception and interaction.

“What I had initially envisioned as a series of ‘acts,’ or isolated performances, ultimately became an infinite loop of humans, animals and automobiles each reacting, in their own deeply individual ways, to the experience of freedom within a common landscape.” – Tommy Malekoff

The sound design, composed in collaboration with Joe Williams, comprises diegetic field recordings that have been stretched, amplified, and looped to become musical in effect. The video is constructed to play as a seamless loop, with no beginning, middle, or end, and may be entered here at random.

The artist

Tommy Malekoff (b. 1992, South Boston, USA) lives and works in New York. His practice involves installation, film, exploring narrative structures and the spatial conditions of moving images. Malekoff has presented solo exhibitions internationally, including “The Bluffs” at ZERO…, Milan (2024); “BUILT: Akeem Smith and Tommy Malekoff” at BRUTUS, Rotterdam (2022); “Belle Glade” at Art: Concept (2022); and “Forever and Forever” at New Canons (2022). Earlier solo presentations include exhibitions at Morán Morán, Los Angeles, and Jeffrey Stark, New York.

His work has been included in group exhibitions at institutions such as Gallerie d’Italia, Turin; Fondazione Merz, Turin; and Gladstone Gallery, New York, among others. Screenings and public programs have taken place internationally, and his work has been featured in publications including The New York Times and Artforum.