The Magic of the State
dal 26/3/2013 al 3/5/2013
Segnalato da
Ryan Gander
Goldin+Senneby
Rana Hamadeh
Anja Kirschner
David Panos
Liz Magic Laser
Christodoulos Panayiotou
Lili Reynaud-Dewar
Silvia Sgualdini
26/3/2013
The Magic of the State
Lisson Gallery, London
The invited artists adopt magic as a filter to question the increasingly intricate ways in which power manifests itself within given social, economic and political structures.
Curated by Silvia Sgualdini
Artists: Ryan Gander, Goldin+Senneby, Rana Hamadeh, Anja Kirschner and David Panos, Liz Magic Laser, Christodoulos Panayiotou, Lili Reynaud-Dewar
Lisson Gallery is proud to present The Magic of the State, an exhibition and editorial project conceived in collaboration with Beirut, a new art initiative and exhibition space in Cairo, Egypt. Curated by Silvia Sgualdini of Lisson Gallery, in conjunction with Jens Maier-Rothe and Sarah Rifky, co-directors of Beirut, the project defines an ambitious platform for artistic exchange by bringing a number of international artists to Cairo for the first time. It also presents an innovative model of collaboration between an independent space and commercial gallery, highlighting the different social and political contexts in which the two organizations operate.
The project is structured as two discrete yet interconnected exhibitions, opening first in Cairo (3 March – 6 April) and then London (27 March – 4 May). Different works by the same group of artists will be presented, including new commissions, performances and discursive platforms. The project will be accompanied by a publication featuring critical texts and artists contributions in English and Arabic.
The Magic of the State takes its name from the book of the same title by anthropologist Michael Taussig. In this text, Taussig conceives the modern State as configured through a theatre of spirit possession into the living body of society. Historically placed at the intersection of science, religion and politics, magic in its broadest sense is addressed within the context of the project: both secular magic and its connection to propaganda and mysticism with its claim to access supernatural entities and powers.
The invited artists adopt magic as a filter to question the increasingly intricate ways in which power manifests itself within given social, economic and political structures.
Image: Christodoulos Panayiotou , The Invention Of Antiquity, 2012, 14 B&W digital prints,each 30x30, Images sourced fromthe Press and Information Office, Cyprus
Press
Toby Kidd and Amy Sutcliffe at Pelham Communications
Tel: +44 20 8969 3959 Email: toby@pelhamcommunications.com and amys@pelhamcommunications.com
Opening: 27 March 2013
Lisson Gallery
29 & 52-54 Bell Street, London
Hours: mon-fri 10am-6pm, saturday 11am-5pm
Free Admission