Synopses & Reviews
Taken separately, "common" and "wealth" appear to suggest two opposed conditions: the shared or communal versus the private and restricted. The works of the five artists appearing in the exhibition Common Wealth, Jennifer Allora, Guillermo Calzadilla, Thomas Hirschhorn, Carsten Holler, and Gabriel Orozco, explore the multiple implications of the two words that form its title. They question what, taken together, a "common wealth" might be, and how artists in some way contribute to this shared "public prosperity." The artists use a variety of artistic strategies to explore these issues, including the presentation of information and the communication of knowledge, collaborative art practice, and games or experiences that link artists and audience in a process of shared experimentation. In doing so, they assess and critique the commodification of both the art world and daily life. They also examine what type of common ground the museum space, or architecture in general, might still have to offer in the face of general disillusionment with the concept of a public sphere. In addition to interviews with each artist, the catalogue contains essays by Tate Modern curator Jessica Morgan and Professor Richard Sennett on the theme of the exhibition and the socio-economic history of exchange, as well as an interview with the renowned theorist Jean-Luc Nancy, which provides insight into the philosopher's re-evaluation of "community" and its relevance for contemporary art production. Collaborative artists Jennifer Allora (b. 1974 Philadelphia, US) and Guillermo Calzadilla (b. 1971 Havana, Cuba) are based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico. Their work examines the 'space of encounter betweenpeople...whether it's psychological territory or a physical terrain.' Their newly commissioned work Landmark 2003, on display in Common Wealth, uses a cartographic felt floor to recreate the cratered landscape of Vieques, an island off Puerto Rico used by the US military for bombing practice. Their ongoing project Chalk encourages the public to express themselves through chalk marks on city streets, and has taken place in New York and Lima, Peru. Their work was recently on display in the group show, How Latitudes Become Forms: Art in a Global Age at The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, which just recently closed on May 4, 2003. Swiss-born artist Thomas Hirschhorn (b. 1957) works in Paris. He creates makeshift environments using everyday materials-plastic sheeting, cardboard, aluminum, and torn magazine pages-which reflect upon current social issues. Recent installations include World Airport 1999, at the Venice Biennale in 1999 and Bataille Mounument 2002, at Documenta 11 2002. A new work, Hotel Democracy-a model building of two floors, looking into the various rooms at images taken from the media that relate to struggles for democracy- was made for this exhibition. Political and philosophical texts as well a selection of Vorticist works from the Tate Collection are also displayed. Carsten Holler (b. 1961 Brussels) lives in Stockholm. His works create communal experiments in which the visitor determines the rules. Included in Common Wealth is Frisbee House 2000, a tent-like structure that can be entered, and is filled with 30 frisbees that visitors can throw to each other or, through holes in the fabric, to unseen participants in the gallery. His solo show is currently on view at theICA, Boston and his work was recently shown at the Fondazione Prada, Milan. Gabriel Orozco (b. 1962 Mexico) works in Mexico City, Paris and New York. Through his works the artist invites visitors to make their own games. Included in Common Wealth are Ping Pond Table 1998, which consists of four ping-pong tables surrounding a lily pond, and Oval with Pendulum 1996, a round billiard table with two white balls and a third red ball attached to a pendulum. Recent solo shows of his work include a retrospective at MoCA, Los Angeles (2000) and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, (2000). He was included in the 1997 Whitney Biennial.
About the Author
Gregor Muir is a curator of contemporary art at Tate. Clarrie Wallis is a curator at Tate Britain and a contributor to Days Like These.