Tino Sehgal's Dematerialized Art and Upcoming Turbine Hall Commission

Tino Sehgal, a UK-born artist of Indo-German parentage in his mid-thirties, creates works using human interaction as a medium, refusing physical objects or documentation since 2000. His upcoming Turbine Hall commission at Tate Modern will be unveiled in July 2012, following a talk at Foundation Beyeler's new Artist Talks program co-hosted by UBS. Sehgal's practice, termed 'deproduction', includes pieces like This Progress (2010) at the Guggenheim in New York, where volunteers discuss progress while ascending Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral, and Kiss (2002), referencing art history with live figures. Other works include This Is New (2003), where invigilators quote headlines, and This Situation (2007), featuring debating intellectuals. Sehgal's early training in economics and dance led to Twenty Minutes for the Twentieth Century (1999), a nude performance referencing 20 dance styles. He avoids interviews and critical commentary, viewing them as excess, and uses memorized oral contracts for sales. His art emphasizes relational aesthetics, with interactions triggered by viewers, as seen in Ann Lee (2011) at the Manchester International Festival, where a girl portrays a manga character. Sehgal's work challenges materiality, focusing on dialogue and social engagement, with influences from artists like Bruce Nauman and Dan Graham.