Francis Alÿs
Tate Modern 15 June – 5 September 2010
Explore:
- A Story of Deception (Room 1)
- The Loop (Room 2)
- Mexico City (Rooms 3 and 4)
- Re-enactments (Room 5)
- Children's Games (Room 6)
- Rehearsal (Rooms 6 and 7)
- When Faith Moves Mountains (Room 8)
- Silencio (Room 9)
- The Green Line (Room 11)
- Paintings (Rooms 12 and 13)
- Tornado (Rooms 14 and 15)
- Song for Lupita (Room 16)
Song for Lupita (Room 16)
In this touching animation a woman pours water from one glass into another over and over again, 'doing without doing', as Alÿs has said. She is accompanied by a lilting song whose words 'Mañana, mañana' (‘tomorrow, tomorrow’) suggest at once perpetual procrastination and continuing hope for the future. One of Alÿs's gentlest works, this animation nevertheless echoes many of the questions raised throughout the exhibition. What is life like in a society where efforts seem to lead to nothing and where change is put off until tomorrow? Conversely, what might it mean to abandon the goals of achievement and efficiency? Song for Lupita 1998 seems to address Alÿs's way of working, his aversion to concepts of finish and development, and his preference for ongoing processes of revision and reconsideration.
