Jan De Cock
dal 9/9/2005 al 30/10/2005
Segnalato da
9/9/2005
Jan De Cock
Tate Modern, London
Denkmal 53, Tate Modern, Bankside 53, London SE1 9TG, 2005 is an extensive work that appears not only in the Level 2 Gallery space, but throughout the museum and its landscape. Artist's large-scale installations are made in response to the architecture of the site he is working in and are both aesthetic interventions in the space as well as performing a utilitarian function. The German word denkmal, which appears in the titles of all De Cock's works, implies both a monument and a memorial. His work recalls a moment in the early twentieth century when the ambitions of art and architecture met in the common pursuit of the transformation of society.
Denkmal 53, Tate Modern, Bankside 53, London SE1 9TG, 2005
The latest in a series of eight week displays by international contemporary artists has been undertaken by Belgian artist Jan De Cock.
De Cock's large-scale installations are made in response to the architecture of the site he is working in and are both aesthetic interventions in the space as well as performing a utilitarian function.
For Tate Modern, De Cock has created a series of installations and sculptures which extend beyond the Level 2 Gallery and throughout the circulation routes used by visitors.
Jan De Cock's installations mimic functional gallery furniture, like information desks and seating, but seem strangely at odds with the gallery space as they are constructed from plywood.
During the summer months, De Cock and his team assembled the project in a specially designed area in front of the north façade of the gallery, so the public could observe their work as it progressed.
Denkmal 53, Tate Modern, Bankside 53, London SE1 9TG, 2005 is an extensive work by Belgian artist Jan De Cock that appears not only in the Level 2 Gallery space, but throughout the museum and its landscape. De Cock’s sculptures are placed in sites that are well-travelled but remain relatively invisible within the iconic architecture of Tate Modern, highlighting or disrupting their normative use or appearance.
Built mainly using green plywood, De Cock’s free-standing forms resemble the abstract art of early twentieth-century Constructivism. Some echo specific features of Tate’s building such as the entranceway, the chimney, and the Turbine Hall, while others appear in the guise of functional furniture, such as information desks and seating. Exploring the tension within the building between Giles Gilbert Scott’s original design for a power station and the current museum space, De Cock invites us to question the role of these sites in the way we experience and interpret works of art.
The German word denkmal, which appears in the titles of all De Cock’s works, implies both a monument and a memorial. De Cock’s work recalls a moment in the early twentieth century when the ambitions of art and architecture met in the common pursuit of the transformation of society. In this sense it could be read as a memorial to a moment now passed. De Cock’s aim is not, however, merely to yearn for a utopian past, but to provide a new awareness of the significance of architectural space.
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Jan De Cock was born in 1976 in Brussels, Belgium, where he lives and works.
This exhibition is curated by Jessica Morgan, Curator, Contemporary Art, Tate Modern with assistance from Ann Coxon, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern.
Text by Jessica Morgan
Image: Jan De Cock
Denkmal 53, Tate Modern, Bankside 53, London SE1 9TG, 2005
© Jan De Cock
Tate Modern
Bankside
London
Exhibition Hours
Sunday to Thursday, 10.00-18.00. Friday and Saturday, 10.00-22.00. Last admission into exhibitions 17.15 (Fri and Sat 21.15).