The Shape We're In (Camden)
dal 27/1/2011 al 13/3/2011
Segnalato da
27/1/2011
The Shape We're In (Camden)
Shops across the Borough of Camden, London
The Shape We're In is a series of three exhibitions focussing on recent sculpture and installation by 22 emerging and established contemporary artists, including some of the most original artists making work today. The first show presents work by Dan Attoe, Jack Strange and Tracey Emin displayed in vacant shops across the Borough of Camden.
The Zabludowicz Collection is delighted to present The Shape We’re In, a series of three exhibitions focussing
on recent sculpture and installation by 22 emerging and established contemporary artists, including some of
the most original artists making work today. Ten artists have been commissioned by the Zabludowicz
Collection to make new works for The Shape We’re In, taking into account the unusual structure and unique
opportunities offered by this tripartite transatlantic exhibition.
The Shape We’re In brings together over 100 sculptural works made over the past five years, many of which
express a strong spirit of socio‐political critique. The exhibition takes on a manifold structure, occupying
various sites across two major art world hub cities. It reclaims spaces which have been left vacant by the
recent economic downturn, such as vacant shops in Camden, London and an empty floor in a New York
skyscraper. The exhibition’s title also plays on a commonplace attitude of self‐conscious analysis and
improvement inherited from the self‐help movement, picked up on by many of the works which reference the
media and popular culture.
Taking place across three idiosyncratic locations: the former Methodist chapel at 176 Prince of Wales Road,
London, home to the Zabludowicz Collection; a number of vacant shops in the London Borough of Camden;
and the 33rd floor of a skyscraper on New York’s Times Square, The Shape We’re In encourages the public to
engage with works in new and informal ways. The three shows also emphasise the Collection’s ongoing
dedication to context‐specificity. Each will engage with local contexts and communities, responding to each
exhibition site through a tailored programme of public events.
Several artists are included in more than one iteration of the The Shape We’re In: Jack Strange’s painterly
installation, Special Effects, a work which involves the direct application of the artist’s blood onto shopfront
windows, will feature in a vacant shop in Camden and at 176 Prince of Wales Road; Ethan Breckenridge and
Sean Dack will exhibit two versions of the same sculptural installation in London and New York; while Matthew
Darbyshire’s commission will exist on the streets of Camden and in New York.
The Shape We’re In (London) will feature new work by emerging artists including Rachael Champion,
Samantha Donnelly, Peggy Franck, George Young and Jack Strange, alongside existing works from the
Collection. These artists have been invited to realise new installations during a short residency of one month
leading up to the exhibition. By facilitating this kind of open‐ended process, the Zabludowicz Collection
encourages emerging artists to develop their practice for public exhibition.
The Shape We’re In (Camden) presents Jacks Strange’s blood installation and neon sculptures by Dan Attoe
and Tracey Emin in vacant shops around the local area. A Camden Council‐led initiative currently encourages
the occupation of unused properties in the borough, to act as a revitalising presence in economically
depressed areas of the city. These works can be seen between 10am and 10pm daily, and to particularly
striking effect in the evening.
The Shape We’re In (New York) features five artists who use sculptural practice to examine social interactions
within man‐made environments. Each artist has been invited to respond to a vacant space on the 33rd floor of
1500 Broadway, at the ‘picture postcard’ heart of New York City. Artists Sarah Braman and Nick van Woert will
present new work alongside some of their existing work from the Zabludowicz Collection. Ethan Breckenridge
and Sean Dack will exhibit a version of a work first seen at The Suburban in Illinois: a sculptural and audio
installation which includes the visitor as an active participant, a version of which will also be installed in
London.
The various context‐specific manifestations of The Shape We’re In demonstrate the Zabludowicz Collection’s
international vision and its commitment to supporting younger artists through new commissions as well as
presenting them in relation to works by more established contemporary artists.
The Shape We’re In is curated by Elizabeth Neilson and Ellen Mara De Wachter. It is accompanied by a
publication with contributions from 25 writers, and designed by Sarah Boris. Limited edition artworks by artists
in the show including Ethan Breckenridge, Sean Dack, Jack Strange and Nicole Wermers are available from the
Zabludowicz Collection and www.zabludowiczcollection.com/shop
The Shape We’re In (Camden)
28 January – 14 March 2011
The Shape We’re In (New York)
1 March – 15 April 2011
The Shape We’re In (London)
10 March – 12 June 2011
For press enquiries please contact Kristina McLean at Calum Sutton PR on + 44 (0) 20 7183 3577 / kristina@suttonpr.com
For further information about the Zabludowicz Collection programme please visit www.zabludowiczcollection.com
Image: © Jack Strange. Courtesy Zabludowicz Collection and Limoncello Gallery, London
Tracey Emin
46 Malden Road, NW5
Dan Attoe, Jack Strange
56-58 Leather Lane, EC1
Works visible 10am – 10pm