Art & Language's Retrospective 'Too Dark to Read' at Lille Métropole
The exhibition 'Too Dark to Read, motifs rétrospectifs 2002-1965' will commence on January 26 at the Musée d'Art Moderne Lille Métropole in Villeneuve d'Ascq, continuing until May 20. Curated by Art & Language—comprising Michael Baldwin, Mel Ramsden, and Charles Harrison—the show subverts traditional retrospective formats with sections named 'Homes from Homes' that blend replicas with original pieces. This installation invites the audience to piece together the artists' body of work. As pioneers in conceptual art, Art & Language revisit formalist concepts through pieces such as 'Map of an area of dimension 12”x12”' and '100% Abstract'. The exhibition also critiques the rhetoric surrounding art's truth, showcasing works like 'Attacked by an Unknown Man' (1981) and the 'Now they are' series (1992). The title signifies the obscurity inherent in their creations.
Key facts
- Exhibition opens January 26 at Musée d'Art Moderne Lille Métropole, Villeneuve d'Ascq
- Runs until May 20
- Title: 'Too Dark to Read, motifs rétrospectifs 2002-1965'
- Art & Language includes Michael Baldwin, Mel Ramsden, and Charles Harrison
- Exhibition opens with two 'Homes from Homes' panels containing copies and parodies
- Replicas are mixed with originals and placed in the permanent collection
- Chronology is disregarded
- Works include 'Map of an area...', '100% Abstract', 'Map to not indicate...'
- '100% Abstract' echoes Frank Stella's statement
- 'Portraits of V. I. Lenin in the style of Jackson Pollock' shown in London and Eindhoven
- 'Attacked by an Unknown Man...' (1981) painted with mouth-held brush
- 'Wrongs healed in official hope' (1998-99) parodies artist text
- 'Now they are' series (1992) covers Courbet's 'Origin of the World' with pink glass
- Baldwin calls the pink version of '100% Abstract' a 'travesty' and 'future of farce'
Entities
Artists
- Michael Baldwin
- Mel Ramsden
- Charles Harrison
- Frank Stella
- Gustave Courbet
- Jackson Pollock
- V. I. Lenin
- Willem de Kooning
- Marcel Duchamp
- Édouard Manet
- Nicolas Poussin
- Jacques-Louis David
- Alphonse Allais
- Robert Ryman
- Paul Wood
- Jacqueline Lichtenstein
- Joëlle Pijaudier-Cabot
- Edmond de Goncourt
- Jules de Goncourt
- Maurice Denis
- Piet Mondrian
- Andy Warhol
- Ad Reinhardt
Institutions
- Musée d'Art Moderne Lille Métropole
- Art & Language
- Galerie Éric Fabre
- MoMA
- Queens Museum of Art
- Whitechapel Gallery
- The British Art Show
- Hayward Gallery
- Casino Luxembourg
- Norwich Gallery
- Henry Moore Institute
- Chisendale Gallery
- Museu do Chiado
- Biennale de Louvain
- Jeu de Paume
Locations
- Villeneuve d'Ascq
- France
- Lille
- London
- United Kingdom
- Eindhoven
- Netherlands
- New York
- United States
- Edinburgh
- Luxembourg
- Lisbon
- Portugal
- Louvain
- Belgium
- Banbury
- Oxon
- Canada
- James Bay
- Ontario
- Iowa
- Kentucky
Sources
- artpress —