The Serpentine Gallery in London to Show "Mark Leckey ~ See We Assemble"

Written by Ralph Farrow Tuesday, 03 May 2011 22:48

London.- From May 19th until June 26th, the Serpentine Gallery presents a new exhibition conceived by Mark Leckey. In a multi-disciplinary practice that encompasses sculpture, sound, film and performance, Leckey explores the potential of the human imagination to appropriate and to animate a concept, an object or an environment. Drawing on his personal experiences as a London-based artist, who spent his formative years in the north of England, Leckey returns frequently to the themes of desire and transformation. Leckey’s fascination with the affective power of images is another recurring theme. Meticulously sourced and reconfigured archival footage is a predominant feature of some of his best-known works.

Leckey’s universe is mediated on multiple levels. For "BigBoxStatueAction" (2003–11), Leckey places one of his Sound Systems ‘in conversation’ with a modernist sculpture. In order to elicit a response from the sculpture, Leckey serenades it with a sound piece created from sampled music and archive material. If the community of clubbers depicted in Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore share a group mentality and the ‘smart’ fridge of GreenScreenRefrigeratorAction is an appliance with a mind of its own, in BigBoxStatueAction Leckey attempts to coax the sculpture to reveal its thoughts.

Mark Leckey, born 1964, was awarded the Turner Prize in 2008. His work has been widely exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions at Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, in 2008 and at Le Consortium, Dijon, in 2007. His performances have recently been presented in New York at the Museum of Modern Art, Abrons Arts Center; at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, both in 2009; and at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, in 2008.

The Serpentine Gallery is one of London’s best-loved galleries for modern and contemporary art. Its Exhibition, Architecture, Education and Public Programmes attracts up to 800,000 visitors in any one year and admission is free. In the grounds of the Gallery is a permanent work by artist and poet Ian Hamilton Finlay, dedicated to the Serpentine’s former Patron Diana Princess of Wales. The work comprises eight benches, a tree-plaque, and a carved stone circle at the Gallery’s entrance. In 2012, coinciding with the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Serpentine Gallery will open its new space, the Serpentine Sackler Gallery. This innovative arts venue for the 21st century will be housed in the Grade II-listed building formerly known as The Magazine, situated in Kensington Gardens. Please note, the Serpentine Gallery is closed to the public in the period between exhibitions, however the Bookshop remains open at all times. Visit the Serpentine's website at ... http://www.serpentinegallery.org

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