Wim Delvoye's Cloaca and Glenn Ligon's Identity Works in Luxembourg
In late 2007, Luxembourg hosted two significant exhibitions: Wim Delvoye's Cloaca industry at Casino Luxembourg, running from 30 September 2007 to 6 January 2008, and Glenn Ligon's exhibition at MUDAM, which was open from 13 September 2007 to 18 February 2008. Delvoye's showcase includes machines that produce feces, preparatory sketches, appropriated logos, and €3,000 convertible bonds. The Wim Shop offers Cloaca-themed merchandise, while the Treasure Room features 100 vacuum-sealed excrements. The final machine, Super Cloaca, was unveiled in October. Ligon's exhibition explores black gay identity, incorporating coal dust in his paintings and tackling issues of social anxieties and racial dynamics, including a portrait of Malcolm X that highlights the complexities of autobiography.
Key facts
- Wim Delvoye's Cloaca industry exhibition at Casino Luxembourg from 30 Sep 2007 to 6 Jan 2008.
- Glenn Ligon's monographic exhibition at MUDAM from 13 Sep 2007 to 18 Feb 2008.
- Delvoye's machines produce feces mimicking human digestion; the eighth machine Super Cloaca produces several tons of excrement.
- The exhibition includes convertible bonds at €3,000, a Wim Shop, and 100 vacuum-packed excrements in the Treasure Room.
- Local restaurateurs fed the machines; Cloaca meals are served in restaurants.
- Ligon's work addresses black gay identity, using coal dust paintings and referencing Malcolm X.
- Ligon repeatedly erases his artistic touch to challenge categorization and white dominance.
- Videos in Ligon's show explore the impossibility of autobiography, referencing Roland Barthes.
Entities
Artists
- Wim Delvoye
- Glenn Ligon
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Marcel Duchamp
- Piero Manzoni
- Andy Warhol
- Malcolm X
- Paul Gilroy
- Roland Barthes
Institutions
- Casino Luxembourg
- MUDAM
- Chanel
- Walt Disney
- Coca Cola
Locations
- Luxembourg
- Bronx
- United States
Sources
- artpress —