Atelier Bow-Wow
Michael Beutler
Los Carpinteros
Gelitin
Mike Nelson
Ernesto Neto
Tobias Putrih
Tomas Saraceno
Do-Ho Suh
Rachel Whiteread
Ralph Rugoff
The exhibition brings together the work of artists who create habitat-like structures and architectural environments that are perceptual and physical spaces as much as psychological ones. Immerse yourself in ten atmospheric, enthralling and unsettlinginstallations that combine architectural and artist design using light, colour and smell. Atelier Bow-Wow, Michael Beutler, Los Carpinteros, Gelitin, Mike Nelson, Ernesto Neto, Tobias Putrih, Tomas Saraceno, Do-Ho Suh, Rachel Whiteread.
As the highlight of the Hayward’s 40th anniversary season,
ten artists from around the world will transform the entire
gallery in PSYCHO BUILDINGS, running from 28 May –
25 August 2008.
The Hayward’s huge spaces will be filled with artist-designed architectural environments, which will
spill onto the three outdoor sculpture terraces, radically altering the interior and exterior of the
gallery. Inside a village made from over 200 dollhouses and a room frozen in a moment of
explosive disaster are amongst the installations that will both enchant and disconcert visitors.
Outside on the Gallery’s sculpture terraces, installations including a huge iridescent observatory
and a working cinema will alter the exterior face of The Hayward. Visible from the surrounding area
and across the Thames and illuminated by night, they add a significant public dimension to this
major exhibition.
The ten artists are: Atelier Bow-Wow (Japan), Michael Beutler (Germany), Los Carpinteros
(Cuba), Gelitin (Austria), Mike Nelson (UK), Ernesto Neto (Brazil), Tobias Putrih (Slovenia),
Tomas Saraceno (Argentina), Do-Ho Suh (Korea), Rachel Whiteread (UK).
Borrowing its title from a book by the artist Martin Kippenberger, the exhibition brings together the
work of artists who create habitat-like structures and architectural spaces that are mental and
perceptual spaces as much as physical ones. The exhibition invites visitors to immerse
themselves in a series of ten atmospheric, enthralling and unsettling installations. Combining
architectural and artistic design with the use of light, colour and smell to trigger responses, these
dynamic constructions actively encourage viewers to become adventurous participants. The scale
and ambition of the exhibition means many of the artists will be working in the gallery for over a
month in order to realise their installations.
Ralph Rugoff, Director of The Hayward and curator of exhibition
“This ambitious exhibition takes the unique architecture of The Hayward as its starting point. The
Gallery's 'brutalist' concrete exterior and the sculptural quality of its spaces have always proved an
inspiration for artists. The extraordinary international artistic response to Psycho Buildings shows
just how challenging, exciting and playful the The Hayward can be. It is a fitting way to celebrate
our 40th birthday.”
Brazilian artist, Ernesto Neto will create a spatial and sensory labyrinth for visitors to explore. A
ceiling of transparent fabric will divide the gallery space into two halves, linked by several
openings. By climbing up ladders to elevated viewing platforms, visitors can scan the floating
landscape of the upper level and also view the lower level from a different perspective, as if
through a layer of translucent skin.
Two artists, Marco Castillo and Dagoberto Rodriguez, form the Havana-based collective Los
Carpinteros (The Carpenters). They are reworking their sculptural installation Frozen Study of a
Disaster especially for the exhibition. The sculpture depicts the suspended moment of an explosion
ripping through a series of rooms filled with furniture.
Mike Nelson is recreating his little seen installation To the memory of H. P. Lovecraft (1999),
which transforms the gallery into a scene of utter rabid devastation, as if an unseen beast had
freed himself from the space by violently clawing through the walls.
Slovenian artist Tobias Putrih will present Venetian, Atmospheric (2007), a beautifully created
sculpture which is also a working cinema. Designed with curved wooden walls and a ceiling onto
which twinkling stars and moving clouds are projected, Venetian, Atmospheric will place the
spectator in an ever-changing environment. Situated on the sculpture terrace facing Waterloo
Bridge, Putrih’s structure will show a specially-curated programme of films about artists and
architecture.
Outside on another of the gallery’s sculpture terraces, the Argentinean artist, Tomas Saraceno will
install a large shimmering air-supported observatory made of translucent, iridescent fabric. While
completely transforming the facade of The Hayward, his domed sculpture will also provide an
immersive experience for visitors who, upon entering the sculpture terrace, will be surrounded by
an environment in which to observe the sky.
Korean-born artist Do-Ho Suh will present a major new sculpture, Fallen Star (2008), which
features 1:5 scale model of the artist’s childhood home in
Korea colliding into the New England
apartment where he lived as an art student. He will also recreate Staircase (2004), a ghostly
evocation of an apartment staircase that the artist fashioned from vibrant red semi-translucent
fabric.
Rachel Whiteread’s will present a new, larger version of her acclaimed installation ‘Village’, which
has never been shown in the UK. It brings together more than 200 dollhouses that the artist has
collected over the past 20 years and is a radical departure from previous work. The dollhouses are
arranged in rows as on a hillside, and each is illuminated by a single light bulb, creating an eerily
atmospheric scene of a neglected village.
Atelier Bow-Wow, Michael Beutler, and the artists’ collective Gelitin will be creating major new
installations for the exhibition.
The exhibition is curated by Ralph Rugoff, Director of The Hayward, in collaboration with the
artists. The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue produced by Hayward
Publishing.
For further PRESS information please contact Sarah Davies, Visual Arts Press Manager, on
020 7921 0887 or sarah.davies@southbankcentre.co.uk
Wednesday 28 May 2008, 7pm
Artists Michael Beutler, Tobias Putrith and Tomas Saraceno present and discuss their works with the curator of Psycho Buildings and Director of The Hayward, Ralph Rugoff.
The exhibition is supported by Outset Contemporary Art Fund.
The Hayward, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XZ
Information and tickets: 0871 663 2519
Opening hours for The Hayward:
Open daily 10am-6pm, late night opening Fridays until 10pm.
Tickets
Advance booking is recommended for this exhibition. Tickets are available at
southbankcentre.co.uk, by calling 0871 663 2519, or in person at The Hayward ticket office.
Full Price £10.00
Seniors 60+ £9.00
Concessions £6.00
Students £6.00
Under 16 £4.50
Under 12 (out of school hours) Free
Southbank Centre Members: Free
As part of the The Hayward’s 40th anniversary celebrations, on 11 July, exactly 40 years to the day
when the Gallery first opened to the public, the admission price will be 40p.