Yayoi Kusuma's 'Dots Obsession', 2004
What: WALKING IN MY MIND
Where: HAYWARD GALLERY, SOUTH BANK CENTRE, LONDON SE1 8XX
When: 23 JUNE—6 SEPT 2009, DAILY 10am-6pm
How (much?): £9, SENIORS £8, STUDENTS AND CONCESSIONS £6
WHAT THEY SAY: Walking in My Mind explores the inner workings of the artist's imagination through immersive, large-scale installation art. Ten international artists transform the Hayward Gallery's indoor galleries and outdoor sculpture terraces into a series of gigantic sculptural environments, each of which represents an individual mindscape. Interior worlds of emotions, thoughts, memories and dreams collide with exterior reality, blurring the boundaries between inner and outer space. Artists include: Charles Avery, Thomas Hirschhorn, Yayoi Kusama, Bo Christian Larsson, Mark Manders, Yoshitomo Nara, Jason Rhoades, Pipilotti Rist, Chiharu Shiota and Keith Tyson.
WHAT WE SAY: The minds of some artists are perturbed by the visions of the end of the world, of dynamites and distorted political ideologies and conniving world economics; others unfold nostalgically intimate stories of childhood delights, or obsessions, that later become sources of their artistic creations. The exhibition Walking in My Mind surely has a lot to offer—from artefacts, artworks to multi-storey, mixed media installations. Some are easy to understand; others interwoven stories of psychological trauma, disappointment and complexes. Though we are sceptical that what we see might not be what’s really on the artists’ mind—but rather what the artists want us to believe is on their mind—and that some installations look as if they were thrown together at the very last minutes, loitering through this large-scale exhibition is a thoroughly enjoyable voyeuristic experience.
VERDICT: Some are great; some are not. Overall, the exhibition is hot!
Words: Poonperm Paitayawat
Image: Courtesy of Hayward Gallery