In Whit Stillman’s 1994 film Barcelona, Chris Eigerman’s expertly portrayed acerbic, tactless naval officer Fred has his cousin Ted nailed—a man who spends entirely too much effort analyzing the smallest subtext of his decisions. Reading complicated narratives into otherwise simple relationships, he applies elaborate and largely irrelevant sales and management strategies to the smallest personal decisions. Ted is not completely wrong; his analysis is often sensitive, sophisticated, and convincing, despite how often it’s missing the obvious and the readily apparent. Ted has trouble recognizing there are factors he cannot control.

Ben Gill has taken the title of this exhibition from this quote for his unusual approach to this new body of work. In his obsessive care for specificity, Gill has produced works both off-the-cuff and complex. His works are full of unfinished narrative, overly self-reflexive gestures, and misleading signifiers.

“My work addresses the concept of the unknown, and the impossibility of fully understanding any one thing or subject. Rather than revealing clues that may lead to a conclusion or answer that can limit its meaning, I attempt to conceal the specific source of inspiration that motivates me to create my work. There are indications that this influence is of great importance, but the origin is kept secret. The viewer’s curiosity may be provoked by the dramatic use of light, and the characteristic of concealment implied by the images of containers and the boxes that they are housed in. Questions arise ahead of answers.

“I intend this withholding of information, and the resulting confusion or slight frustration, in order to prevent presumptuous behavior, emphasizing the fact of life, that one cannot know everything.”