A spectacular piece marking the opening of a spectacular new space, ‘Turning the 7th Corner’ is a spiral maze with the YBA take on Tutankhamun’s treasure hidden in the middle. The British artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster commissioned architect David Adjaye to build a labyrinthine site-specific installation in the former Tagesspiegel printing press. The visitor winds her way through the tight corridors in near darkness, twisting and turning to reach the centre. Corners loom unexpectedly, the floor rises and dips. The artists want to put the viewer in a calm, meditative mind-state, to better appreciate the artwork hidden in the middle of the maze. I felt disorientated and more than a little lost, and reaching the warm pool of light in the centre felt like a huge relief. The visitor is greeted by one of the couple’s characteristic sculptural shadow self-portraits, featuring desiccated frogs and dried up squirrels. The animals were allegedly deposited behind the settee by Noble’s mother’s cat, and repurposed and covered in gold for the piece. The exhibition certainly puts Harry Blain and Graham Southern’s (both formerly of Haunch of Venison) new Berlin venture on the gallery map.
Exhibition Info
BLAINSOUTHERN
Tim Noble and Sue Webster: ‘Turning the 7th Corner’
Exhibition: until July 16, 2011
Potsdamer Str. 77 – 87, click here for map
Opening Hours: Tues-Sat 11-6pm
