From Sharne Wolff…
13 Rooms is the 27th in the series of Kaldor Public Art Projects that began so famously with Christo and Jeanne Claude’s Wrapped Coast at Little Bay over 40 years ago. For this latest project, curators Hans Ulrich Obrist, co-director of London’s Serpentine Gallery and Klaus Biesenbach, Director of MoMA PS1 in New York, have brought together an exhibition of contemporary art from 12 international artists and local Brisbane artist duo, Clark Beaumont. This exhibition aims to ‘bring together the visual and the performative’ for an exhibition of living sculpture where, at least for some performances, surprise is a key element.
The work of each artist or group of artists will occupy a purpose built ‘room’ constructed to a specific plan within the original frame of Pier 2/3 – the old nineteenth century wharf building. Some of the rooms take unconventional shapes. To interact with the art, the viewer enters a door and is transported into the space occupied by the artwork. With the exception of Clark Beaumont, the artists will not be present and 140 local performance artists and dancers will interpret each of the works. The Brisbane artists intend their shared space to operate on a very literal level. Each day of the exhibition they plan to tussle for space on a plinth too small for both of them to sit or stand on. Clark Beaumont are in good company with some of the more famous names in international performance art responsible for a Room: Marina Abramovic, John Baldessari, Joan Jonas, Damien Hirst, Tino Sehgal, artist duo Allora and Calzadilla, Simon Fujiwara, Xavier Le Roy, Laura Lima, Roman Ondák, Santiago Sierra and Xu Zhen.
From April 11 to 21.
Pier 2/3 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay.
Pic: Allora & Calzadilla’s Revolving Door 2011, performed at Kaldor Public Art Project 27: 13 Rooms by Sydney Dance Company. Photo: Jamie North/Kaldor Public Art Projects.
