Carsten Höller
29 May - 10 October 2010
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| © Carsten Höller
Installation view |
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CARSTEN HÖLLER
"Giant Triple Mushrooms"
May 29 - October 10, 2010
Carsten Höller's five Giant Triple Mushrooms are 3-dimensional collages
of enlarged replicas of mushrooms occurring wild in Eurasia, they vary
in size from 1 meter to 2.6 meters. Half of their composition is created
from a fly-agaric mushroom, (Amanita muscaria), which is poisonous and
psychoactive, the other half is composed of two randomly chosen
mushrooms. The six month installation will mark the beginning of a
twice-yearly series of contemporary works to be exhibited within our
Entrance Space.
Carsten Höller has realized several works with the fly-agaric mushroom,
including the Mushroom Suitcase series and the Upside Down Mushroom Room
(2000), which was shown in 2005 at MOCA in Los Angeles. His fly-agaric
replicas are large-scale and often spin or hang upside down from the
ceiling. The artist has also created photographic works based on the
fly-agaric, entitled Mushroom Print (2003) and Soma Series (2008).
The artist’s interest in fly-agaric mushrooms is based on their
phenomenological and psychoactive properties. Carsten Höller is
fascinated by the idea that the fly-agaric might have played a major
role in the development of schamanism and human culture long before the
occurrence of the now dominant forms of religion, which is still
reflected by its use in folk handicraft. It is a symbol which has lost
its meaning, and therefore becomes an even stronger hint at the
possibility of another culture, old or new (Baldo Hauser).
The Giant Triple Mushrooms have also evolved from the artist's continued
exploration of the idea of ‘divided’ and ’double’. He uses either a
simple formula of division or more complex mathematical solutions to
divide and re-divide spaces and objects. For example, in association
with Fondazione Prada, he opened The Double Club in London (2008-2009) -
the now famous bar, restaurant and discotheque, where the experience of
the interiors, music and dining were divided completely into
‘Congolese’ and ‘Western’ parts. Earlier this year, he opened the
exhibition Divided Divided at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in
Rotterdam, the Giant Triple Mushrooms were first shown as part of this
exhibition.
Artist Profile
Carsten Höller was born in Brussels in 1961 to German parents. Höller's
artistic practice focuses on personal experience, and often involves
viewer participation. His intention is to produce a specific, individual
or social experience that occurs the moment one comes into contact with
the artwork. His works have been shown internationally over the last
two decades, including solo exhibitions at Fondazione Prada, Milan
(2000), the ICA Boston (2003), Musée d'Art Contemporain, Marseille
(2004), MASS MoCA, (2006), and Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria (2008). In
2006, he conceived the giant slide instalation Test Site at the Turbine
Hall in London’s Tate Modern, and represented Sweden (with Miriam
Bäckström) at the 51st Biennale di Venezia. Recently he opened the
Congolese and Western restaurant, nightclub, disco The Double Club in
London in collaboration with Fondazione Prada for a six-month period.
Höller lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.
www.garageccc.com |
