Garden party: Hauser & Wirth goes green for Tetsumi Kudo exhibition
Hauser & Wirth goes green for Tetsumi Kudo exhibition
Hauser & Wirth’s normally pristine North Gallery has taken a surprising green turn for its new exhibition of works by the late Japanese artist Tetsumi Kudo (1935-1990).
Mounted in collaboration with Andrea Rosen Gallery, the show sees the London gallery carpeted wall-to-wall in Astroturf. The installation, conceived by Oliver Renaud Clément, transforms the space into a lush green backdrop for Kudo’s neon penis terrariums and grotesque sculptures.
The exhibition focuses on a selection of works created in the 1960s and early 70s, dating from Kudo’s first ten years in Paris. Both Kudo’s dome works – decaying eco systems housed inside mini-Perspex spheres – and his cube series (small boxes containing decaying cocoons and shells) are on show. They’re equal measures eerie and comedic – a reflection on the decomposition of nature, and subsequently humanity.
The highlight of the show is certainly Kudo’s ‘Garden of the Metamorphosis in the Space Capsule’ (1968): a die magnified to over 3.5 sq m, with a small, circular door inviting viewers to clamber into a UV-lit interior. Inside, tall fluorescent flower stems loom over a floor littered with molten cotton skin, penises and silhouettes of body parts.
Kudo’s paintings and installations stem from a fixation with the impact of nuclear disasters and the excess of consumerism fuelled by the post-war economic boom. It’s little wonder why – the Osaka-born artist spent a significant portion of his youth in the town of Okayama, a neighbor of nuclear-devastated Hiroshima. And even in the whimsy of his Technicolor artworks, that somberness is inescapable.
INFORMATION
Tetsumi Kudo runs until 21 November 2015
ADDRESS
Hauser & Wirth
North Gallery
23 Savile Row
London W1S 2ET
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Find yourself at Six Senses Kyoto, the brand's breathtaking Japan debut
Six Senses Kyoto opens its doors boasting tranquil, luxurious interiors by Blink Design Group
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House
'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Artist Mickalene Thomas wrestles with notions of Black beauty, female empowerment and love
'Mickalene Thomas: All About Love’, a touring exhibition, considers Black female representation
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Who is the future of British art? Hauser & Wirth Somerset finds out
‘Present Tense’ at Hauser & Wirth Somerset showcases some of Britain’s most exciting emerging talents with a group show of 23 artists
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Avery Singer considers 9/11 trauma and corporate anonymity at Hauser & Wirth
‘Avery Singer: Free Fall’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, melding a serene office aesthetic with moments of horror
By Emily Steer Published
-
Frieze London 2023: what to see and do
Everything you want to see at Frieze London 2023 and around the city in our frequently updated guide
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Hospital Rooms and Hauser & Wirth unite for a sensorial London exhibition and auction
Hospital Rooms and Hauser & Wirth are working together to raise money for arts and mental health charities
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Cindy Sherman’s freaky new portrait collages dissect the divided self
We preview Cindy Sherman’s new portraits, on view at Hauser & Wirth Zurich during Zurich Art Weekend – which will see digitally manipulated collages explore the many facets of society
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Gary Simmons on the erasure of racist tropes: ‘I don't want them to be forgotten for their menace’
In Gary Simmons’ new show, ‘This Must Be the Place’ at Hauser & Wirth, London, the artist explores the process of cultural erasure, and the traces it leaves behind
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
All eyes on Christina Quarles, the painter inventing a new figurative language
Los Angeles-based artist Christina Quarles is in her element, with two major solo shows underway at Hamburger Bahnhof and Hauser & Wirth Menorca
By Emily McDermott Published
-
Remembering Phyllida Barlow (1944 – 2023): a titanic force of British sculpture
We look back on the life and work of Phyllida Barlow, revered British sculptor, educator and Hauser & Wirth artist who has passed away aged 78
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published