LAUGHING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
25 January – 13 April 2008
Southbank Centre
Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX
In the first major UK gallery survey of its kind, Laughing in a Foreign Language explores the role of laughter and humour in contemporary art through the work of 30 international artists, including Jake and Dinos Chapman (UK); Ugo Rondinone (Switzerland); Makoto Aida (Japan); Doug Fishbone (US); John Bock (Germany); David Shrigley (UK); Jun Yang (China); Julian Rosefeldt (Germany); Olaf Breuning (Switzerland); Candice Breitz (South Africa), Matthew Griffin (Australia) and Marcus Coates (UK). Laughing in a Foreign Language, from 25 January – 13 April is the first exhibition curated by The Hayward’s new international Curator, Mami Kataoka.
In a time of increasing globalisation, the exhibition questions if humour can only be appreciated by people with similar cultural, political or historical backgrounds and memories, or whether it can act as a catalyst for understanding the unfamiliar. Bringing together 80 works including videos, photographs and interactive installations, many of which have not been shown in the UK before, the show investigates the whole spectrum of humour, from jokes, gags and slapstick to irony, wit and satire, as well as questioning what it means to share a sense of humour and what it is that makes an individual laugh.
Talks and Events:
MARCUS COATES
Spirit Caravan: mobile personal consulting
Saturday 1 March, 3pm-6pm
DOUG FISHBONE
An Evening with Doug Fishbone
Saturday 1 March, 6.30pm
GHAZEL: Home film screening
Friday 4 March, 7pm
ABOUT LAUGHTER, SERIOUSLY: LAUGHLAB
Tuesday 11 March, 7pm
JAKE CHAPMAN
Wednesday 26 March, 7pm
Also on at The Hayward:
Alexander Rodchenko: Revolution in Photography
7 February – 27 April 2008
Featuring some 120 original prints and photomontages, the exhibition traces the development of Rodchenko’s photography over two decades from 1923, a period when he created many classic works of Russian and world photography. The exhibition is organised by the Moscow House of Photography and curated by its Director Olga Sviblova. The Hayward’s presentation of this exhibition is made possible with the support of Roman Abramovich.
Talks:
RODCHENKO: REVOLUTIONARY AND ROMANTIC
Talk by David Elliot, cultural historian and curator
Friday 11 February, 7pm
RODCHENKO: THE LEGEND AND THE LEGACY
Talk by curator Olga Sviblova
Tuesday 15 April, 7pm
