Space Shifters

Featured Artists
Leonor Antunes, Larry Bell, Fred Eversley, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Jeppe Hein, Roni Horn, Robert Irwin, Ann Veronica Janssens, Anish Kapoor, Yayoi Kusama, Alicja Kwade, John McCracken, Josiah McElheny, Helen Pashgian, Charlotte Posenenske, Fred Sandback, Monika Sosnowska, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, De Wain Valentine and Richard Wilson.

Space Shifters is a group exhibition that brings together sculptures and installations that explore perception and space. Featuring 20 artists and spanning a period of roughly 50 years, the exhibition includes innovative, minimalist sculpture made in and around Los Angeles during the 1960s, as well as recent works that extend the legacy of this “optical” minimalism in different ways. It also includes a number of new commissions made in response to the architecture of the Hayward Gallery.

Many of the artworks in this exhibition are constructed from translucent materials such as clear or coated glass, acrylic and polyester resins. Others involve the use of reflective materials, including stainless steel, polished bronze and, in one case, engine oil. Luscious and seductive—and often demonstrating huge technical accomplishment—these objects act as optical devices that enable us to see our environment in new and unexpected ways.

As well as showcasing historical works associated with the “Light and Space” movement, including pioneering sculptures by De Wain Valentine, Helen Pashgian and Fred Eversley, Space Shifters traces the concerns of that generation of artists through to the present moment, making links to a wide range of later artworks that employ diverse materials to reorient our perception of our surroundings.

Among these are Alicja Kwade’s large-scale, maze-like installation WeltenLinie (2017), which through the use of double-sided mirrors and the careful placement of objects brings about the illusion of alchemic transformations; sculptures by Ann Veronica Janssens and Roni Horn that explore the alluring properties of both glass and light; and Anish Kapoor’s Sky Mirror, Blue (2016), a large concave mirror situated on one of the outdoor sculpture terraces that appears to bring the sky down to the ground.

Many of the sculptures and installations in this exhibition respond directly to the architecture of the Hayward Gallery. This is the case for new commissions by Leonor Antunes, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané and Monika Sosnowska, as well as for artworks that have been adapted or newly configured for the exhibition, including Richard Wilson’s 20:50 (1987). This immersive installation, which takes over the entirety of one of Hayward’s upper galleries, exploits the reflective properties of engine oil to unsettle our sense of space and, in the process, knock our “world-view off-kilter.”

In bringing together diverse artworks that activate our perception of Hayward’s unique building, Space Shifters provides an engaging conclusion to the gallery’s 50th anniversary year.

Curated by Hayward Gallery Senior Curator Dr Cliff Lauson, with Assistant Curator Tarini Malik and Curatorial Assistant Thomas Sutton.

The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue that features essays by Cliff Lauson, Dawna Schuld and Lynn Zelevansky, as well as short texts on each of the artists.

The exhibition’s public programme includes a keynote talk from renowned artist and designer Es Devlin OBE; panel discussions exploring the relationship between art and architecture; a late-night electronic music event; an evening of choral music by 20th century minimalist composers delivered by the New London Chamber Choir; and an introduction to the “Light and Space” movement by Dr Rachel Rivenc of the Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles.