A new exhibition at the Hayward gallery could prove the most subtle or the most pretentious exhibition of all time. Invisible Art brings together works from the past half century that explores ideas related to the invisible and the hidden.
The exhibition includes work by some of the most important artists of our time as well as younger artists who have expanded on their legacy.From the amusing to the philosophical, there are works you can observe and others you can take part in, such as Jeppe Hein’s Invisible Labyrinth. From Yves Klein’s utopian plans for an ‘architecture of air’ to Robert Barry’s Energy Field (AM 130 KHz) from 1968 – which encourages a heightened awareness of the physical context of the gallery- this exhibition span diverse aesthetic practices and concerns. Invisible: Art about the Unseen 1957 – 2012 opens on June 12 and includes works such as an empty plinth, a canvas painted with invisible ink and an unseen labyrinth. It includes work and documents from French artist Klein, who pioneered invisible works in the late 1950s with his concept of the “architecture of air”.
Many of the works in Invisible seek to direct our attention towards the unwritten rules and conventions that shape our understanding of art. Other works invoke invisibility to underscore the limits of our perceptual capacities or to emphasize the role of our imagination in responding to works of art. Some use invisibility as a metaphor that relates to the suppression of information or the political disappearance and marginalization of social groups.
Artists in the exhibition include Art & Language, Robert Barry, Chris Burden, James Lee Byars, Maurizio Cattelan, Jay Chung, Song Dong, Tom Friedman, Carsten Höller, Tehching Hsieh, Bruno Jakob, Yves Klein, Lai Chih-Sheng, Glenn Ligon, Teresa Margolles, Gianni Motti, Roman Ondák, Yoko Ono and Andy Warhol.
Photo Yoko Ono Telephone Piece 2007
invisible: Art about the Unseen Hayward Gallery Southbank Tuesday 12 June 2012 – Sunday 5 August 2012