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3/7/2007

Anthony McCall

Musee departemental d'art contemporain, Rochechouart

Elements for a retrospective 1972-1975/2003

On the border between film and sculpture, performance and conceptual art, the recent work of Anthony McCall has acquired a new dynamic. In 2003, following a break of twenty years, the artist began making work again. Following on from his early achievements, which included the seminal film "Line Describing a Cone" (1973), he has embarked on an entirely new series of ((solid light films)). Yet, whether using 16mm film as he did in the past or digital projection as he does now, McCall produces three-dimensional cinematic sculptures for large, mist-filled, darkened spaces.

The undeniable spectacular aspect of this group of installations should not obscure the diversity of readings and interest found in his body of work as a whole. One may think about Land Art when seeing his first movie Landscape for Fire; on the other hand we may think of it as a program for an archaïc cinema, or the start of his reflections about performance and film which led in 1973 to "Line Describing a Cone": a performance without performers, only film and spectators.

Made in 1975, Long Film for Ambient Light is another example of the complexity and radicalism of his production: one room, lit only by a single electric light-bulb, or by natural light coming through the windows, is claimed, in a conceptual gesture, as a film.

How does one show such works, when they sit at the crossroads of four different practices (film, sculpture, performance, conceptual art)? And how does one structure a retrospective of two distinct and vital bodies of work that are divided by a twenty year silence? These were the challenges of the show, which includes more than 60 drawings, scores, photographs and documents (most of them from the artist's own archive), the first re-creation of Long Film for Ambient Light since the 1970’s, and four solid-light film installations, which are housed beneath the massive roof-beams of the XV-century castle of the Musée de Rochechouart.

Located at 40 km from Limoges, and 30 km from Limoges's airport, the Rochechouart Castle is perched dramatically on a rocky outcrop. Most of the castle date dates from the 15th century with an inner courtyard and elegant Renaissance gallery with frescoes from the 16th century. In 1985, Haute-Vienne Council established the Museum of contemporary art within its walls. The museum has an exceptional collection of artworks by artists such as Gerhard Richter, Luciano Fabro, Ugo Rondinone, Steve McQueen, Thierry Kuntzel… It includes also the Raoul Hausmann funds, dedicated to the famous dadaist who spent the last 20 years of his life in Limoges.

The exhibition will be accompanied in october 2007 by a catalog published by Monografik edition.

The Musée départemental d'art contemporain de Rochechouart is an initiative of the Conseil général de la Haute-Vienne.This exhibition was made possible through the support of the Minister of Culture (DRAC Limousin) and the Fonds étant donné pour l'art contemporain (FACE Council)

Image: Image de la performance Landscape for fire II, Courtesy Anthony McCall

Musée départemental d'art contemporain de Rochechouart
Place du Château
87600 Rochechouart
10am-12.30am/13.30pm-18pm
and 10am-12.30am/14pm-17 from october the 1st every day except Tuesday

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