Sidsel Meineche Hansen: Welcome to End-Used City

Chisenhale Gallery presents Welcome to End-Used City, an exhibition by Sidsel Meineche Hansen. The exhibition brings together new and existing works to further explore Meineche Hansen’s ongoing enquiry into virtual and robotic bodies and their relationship to human labour within the gaming, pornographic and tech-industries. 

Central to Meineche Hansen’s exhibition is a new video work End-Used City (2019). Using a game controller, audiences can select and view three short videos embedded in the eyes of an animated figure. The body of the figure is composed of portraits of key software providers within the global tech-industry, whose products and accompanying end-user licence agreements, set the terms and conditions of “surveillance capitalism.” 

Following an introduction from the animated figure, three short videos can be activated. Set in London, in a dystopian near future, the videos explore different modes of surveillance, from a resident caretaker to behavioural tracking software. The videos follow a female character, in the role of a lethargic double agent, surveilling the city. Combining footage shot in London with computer-generated images, End-Used City explores a growing economy built on the monetisation of personal and behavioural data from a first-person perspective. Starring Anna Smith, End-Used City is made in collaboration with Black Shuck, Therese Henningsen, Troy Duguid and Clifford Sage with sound by Brynje.

Installed at the entrance to the exhibition space is Hellmouth (To Madame) (2018), which was produced as part of Meineche Hansen’s 2018 PRE-ORDER I-III exhibition series. This work acts as a gatekeeper to the space and partially obstructs the entrance to the gallery. Further complicating issues around privacy and access, the gallery’s toilet is only accessible by attaining an oversized key ring at the gallery’s front desk.

Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition continues  Chisenhale Gallery’s Commissions Programme for 2019, which includes new commissions by artists Ghislaine Leung, Mandy El-Sayegh and Ima-Abasi Okon. Through her work, Meineche Hansen explores issues relating to labour, desire and value, themes that recur throughout Chisenhale Gallery’s programme for 2019.

Exhibition events:
As part of the commissioning process, a series of events has been programmed in collaboration with Meineche Hansen and will run throughout her exhibition. 

Curator’s talk
Sunday, September 29, 3:30pm
Ellen Greig, Curator: Commissions at Chisenhale Gallery introduces Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition. Tea and cakes are generously provided by the East End Women’s Institute.

Sidsel Meineche Hansen in conversation with Helena Vilalta
Friday, October 4, 12pm
Sidsel Meineche Hansen is joined in conversation by writer and researcher Helena Vilalta to discuss her new exhibition.

David Bussel responds to Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition
Thursday, November 7, 7pm
Writer and curator David Bussel leads a tour of Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition, exploring labour and surveillance under capitalist social relations. 

ChisenhaleHz respond to Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition
Tuesday, November 12, 7pm
ChisenhaleHz, a collective of young people who meet regularly at Chisenhale Gallery, present a response to Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition. 

An evening of artists’ film curated by Kari Rittenbach at Genesis Cinema
Tuesday, November 19, 6:30pm 
Genesis Cinema 
93–95 Mile End Rd, London E1 4UJ
A film programme devised by writer and curator Kari Rittenbach, exploring ideas of urbanism and “terms of use” in Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition. For full details and tickets, please visit: genesiscinema.co.uk

Michael Veale gives a talk in response to Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition 
Thursday, November 28, 7pm
Michael Veale, Lecturer in Digital Rights and Regulation at University College London’s Faculty of Laws, gives a talk on “data rights and data wrongs” in response to Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s work.

Curator’s talk
Thursday, December 5, 7pm
Amy Jones, Assistant Curator: Commissions at Chisenhale Gallery introduces Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition. 

Events are free to attend, unless otherwise stated, but booking is strongly advised. Please visit chisenhale.eventbrite.co.uk to make a reservation.

Biography
Sidsel Meineche Hansen lives and works in London. Selected solo exhibitions include: An Artists Guide to Stop Being an Artist, SMK - The National Gallery of Denmark (2019); Real Doll Theatre, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; End-user, Kunsthal Århus, Denmark; OVER, Index Stockholm, Sweden (2018); OVER, Ludlow 38, New York City (2017); No Right Way 2 Cum, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow; SECOND SEX WAR, Gasworks, London (both 2016); ONE-self, Temporary Gallery & Kunstler House Bremen, Germany (2015); and INSIDER, CUBITT, London (2014). 

Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s exhibition is commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London. With additional production support from Black Shuck. 

Sidsel Meineche Hansen’s commission is produced with support from the Chisenhale Gallery Commissions Fund. With additional support from Mark Hix and HIX Restaurants. With thanks to Rodeo, London/Piraeus.

PRE-ORDER I-III series 2018 was commission and produced by SMK - The National Gallery of Denmark; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; and Kunsthal Århus, Denmark.

Chisenhale Gallery’s Commissions Programme 2019 is supported by the Luma Foundation. Chisenhale Gallery’s Talks and Events Programme 2019 is supported by Brian Boylan and forms part of Chisenhale Gallery’s Engagement Programme. With additional support from the Engagement Programme Supporters’ Circle.

Chisenhale Gallery commissions and produces contemporary art, supporting international and UK-based artists to pursue new directions and make their most ambitious work to date. For audiences, the gallery provides opportunities to experience this process of art production through participation and critical reflection. The gallery has an award winning, 37-year history as one of London’s most innovative forums for contemporary art and operates as a production agency, exhibition hall, research centre and community resource.

Chisenhale Gallery
Registered charity number 102617