Tate Modern Level 2 Gallery
10 September – 30 October 2005
On 10 September, a new work by Belgian artist Jan De Cock goes on display at Tate Modern as part of the Level 2 Gallery series. Denkmal 53, Tate Modern, Bankside 53, London SE1 9TG, 2005 is a large-scale sculpture consisting of various parts. Some of these resemble pieces of functional furniture such as information desks and seating, while others are more abstract sculptural objects, reminiscent of early twentieth-century Constructivist art, which often displayed a similar interest in geometric form and colour. All of the parts are constructed using coloured plywood, the artist’s signature material.
De Cock’s sculpture occupies the Level 2 Gallery space as well as spilling out onto six levels in Tate Modern and the surrounding landscape. De Cock places the different elements in areas that are well used but often go unnoticed by the public, for example the concourses between the display galleries, the corridors connecting rooms, and the north terrace in front of the gallery.
Through this sculpture, Tate Modern visitors are provided with the opportunity to experience the space within and around the building in a new way. Familiar views and paths are interrupted, and the spaces created by Herzog & de Meuron and Giles Gilbert Scott, the architects of Tate Modern and the original power station, can be viewed from fresh perspectives. De Cock’s art both honours and commemorates the building, its spaces and the nature of the institution. This is underlined in the titles of his works, which he calls denkmal, the German word for monument or memorial, followed by the street number of the site.
This ambitious project was constructed over the summer months this year, with
De Cock’s atelier working in front of the museum on the north façade, in an area designed to allow visitors to Tate Modern and the South bank to observe activities.
This will be the first exhibition of Jan De Cock in the UK. Born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1976, the artist has received increasing acclaim in recent years for works such as his major installation at Manifesta 5, in San Sebastian in 2004 and at Schirn K?nsthalle, Frankfurt (2005).
This exhibition is curated by Jessica Morgan, Curator, Contemporary Art, Tate Modern, with assistance from Ann Coxon, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern. It is part of the Level 2 Gallery series, which is dedicated to emerging international artists. The next exhibition in the series will feature a new work by Catherine Sullivan called The Chittendens, 2005,
19 November 2005 – 8 January 2006.