Media Burn explores the boundaries between art, politics, protest and the media. It combines contemporary works with those from the 1970s and 1980s, all sharing a DIY, collage aesthetic that involves manipulating the images and techniques of the mass media. Some of the artists explore the relationship between politics and everyday life in the domestic environment. Others take to the streets, contemplating the effectiveness of protest and direct action in the twenty-first century.
Martha Rosler's collages throw a spotlight on the media consumption of the Iraq war, while Peter Kennard's satirical photomontages provide a savage commentary on 1980s British politics and society. Sharon Hayes holds a one-woman protest using slogans taken from past political actions. Similarly, Jens Ullrich doctors documentary photographs of demonstrations to render their placards meaningless. Wynne Greenwood and K8 Hardy present a spoof feminist news report, while Valérie Mréjen creates a hypnotic and melancholy essay on the limited horizons of a 1970s housewife. Josephine Meckseper's glittering shop window displays teasingly blur the relationships between politics and art, culture and advertising.
Performance
- Wynne Greenwood and
K8 Hardy: New Report Live - Saturday 17 February 2007 free
Media Burn is the second in a series of five thematic exhibitions located in Level 2 Gallery, Tate Modern's dedicated space for the latest ideas, themes and trends in international contemporary art. The 2006-7 Level 2 series is conceived and led by Emma Dexter, Curator, Tate Modern. Media Burn is curated by Ann Coxon and Amy Dickson, Assistant Curators, Tate Modern.