Pierre Huyghe at Tate Modern | BBC Collective
There has been excitement in the air for the opening of Pierre Huyghe’s first solo show in the UK. The French artist, who came to prominence in the mid 90s, has set about challenging the boundaries of art and the art institution.
Opting for a non-conventional retrospective at Tate Modern, Celebration Park is likened to the third act of Huyghe’s fictitious play, and this impressive final instalment began as a prologue/exhibition at Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris/ARC earlier this year. It explores the notion of authorship, modern-day myth and preconceptions, time and history and collaboration through the use of popular art forms - performance, film, sound and installation.
With your trusty map in hand, you are guided through the different facets of Huyghe’s playfully created environment. Larger-than-life Alice In Wonderland-style doors glide through the space against a backdrop of neon-light text disclaimers. The premier screening of A Journey That Wasn’t enables an uncharted island in Antarctica, through topographic transcription, to resonate throughout the gallery. While Snow White reclaims her voice, Le Corbusier is turned into a puppet and even the shoelace is nominated for its own celebratory day.
There is the constant presence of inspiration, from Lewis Carroll, John Cage and Jorge Luis Borges to Walt Disney, in the often-collaborative pieces of work, which allows re-enactments and reinterpretations of familiar narratives to be explored. Huyghe also transforms the gallery space into a temporal platform where he can orchestrate a performative experience for the audience.
With Celebration Park, Huyghe has successfully captured the concept of presenting mini exhibitions within one tour de force showcase. The exhibition is itself an advertisement for a larger project, the “park village”. We wait with anticipation.
REVIEWED FOR BBC COLLECTIVE 6 JULY 2006
