Tate Triennial 2006: New British Art at Tate Britain

The third edition of the Tate Triennial, titled 'New British Art,' was held at Tate Britain in London from March 1 to May 14, 2006. Curated by Beatrix Ruf, curator at Kunsthalle Zurich, the exhibition aimed to highlight a 'distinct tendency' in contemporary art involving the reuse and reworking of cultural materials from art history, cinema, music, architecture, design, and socio-political fields. However, critic Barry Schwabsky argues that this curatorial approach is essentially a 'list-type' triennial disguised as an 'essay-type,' as the described tendency is a condition of all artistic work. Notable inclusions are works predating the first Tate Triennial in 2000, such as Ian Hamilton Finlay's carved stone columns from 1999 and Cosey Fanni Tutti's 1976 installation 'Prostitution,' as well as Marc Camille Chaimowicz's 'Here and There' from 1976. Painting is strongly represented by Peter Doig, Kaye Donachie, Lucy McKenzie, and Alan Michael. Sculpture ranges from Rebecca Warren's grotesque de Kooning-esque forms to Nicole Wermers' consumerist formalism. John Stezaker's collages and found photographs offer subtle pleasures, while Daria Martin's film 'Wintergarden' (2005) is described as a more striking pleasure. Schwabsky criticizes Ruf's preference for purely conceptual forms as overly deadpan.