Tino Sehgal
17 January – 3 March 2005
12 – 7.30pm daily
Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
The Mall
London SW1
T +44 (0)20 7930 3647
F +44 (0)20 7306 0122
info [at] ica.org.uk
www.ica.org.uk
This is the first of three solo exhibitions by Tino Sehgal at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London that will provide audiences with the opportunity to follow the development of one artist over a three-year period between 2005 and 2007.
A background in choreography and political economy both inform and play a fundamental role in the artist’s work. He does not produce tangible objects neither is he interested in leaving any form of material trace. His medium is immateriality, which he uses to generate highly provisional pieces of art that challenge the traditional museological context.
Sehgal designs situations that take the form of fleeting gestures based on movement and the spoken word, with one or several people acting out a set of instructions conceived by the artist. The human voice, language, movement and interaction are the artistic materials with which Sehgal stakes a radical position within the field of Conceptual art. The artist’s ephemeral works question the coordinates that traditionally define the system of “art”: idea, visualisation, originality, producer, viewer, owner and market value.
In part one of Tino Sehgal, the ICA galleries will remain completely empty and devoid of objects. Instead Sehgal will devise a series of interventions that incorporate people in the exhibition space while adapting contemporary dance principles to the temporality of the exhibition. In the Lower Gallery Sehgal will present Instead of allowing some things to rise up to your face, dancing bruce and dan and other things (2000) – a live re-enactment of movements from dance-influenced video-works by Dan Graham and Bruce Nauman. In the Upper Galleries audiences will encounter This objective of that object (2004). When they enter the galleries, visitors will be confronted by the physical presence of five “interpreters” who will act out a series of instructions directly in relation to each visitor – the sequence will be repeated every time another person enters the room.
Tino Sehgal was born in London in 1976 and currently lives in Berlin. His recent solo exhibitions include: Musee des Beaux Arts, Nantes, 2004; Vanabbe Museum, Eindhoven, 2004. In addition he has participated in a number of group exhibitions including: Venice Biennale, 2003 Manifesta 4, Frankfurt, 2002. Tino Sehgal will be a key participant at the Venice Biennale, 2005.
18 January, 2005 Talk: Tino Sehgal in Conversation
Tino Sehgal will be in conversation about his work with Jens Hoffmann, Director ICA Exhibitions, at the Goethe-Institute. For tickets call 020 7596 4000
Goethe-Institute, 50 Proinces Gate, Exhibition Rd. London SW7 2PH
