Exhibitions London. New Commission by Hans Schabus. Next Time I’m Here, I’ll Be There. The Curve, The Barbican Gallery. The Curated Object

Staircase
Über das Prinzip Hoffnung beim Schachten
2003
Installation shot: Bruno Klomfar
Courtesy: Hans schabus and Engholm Engelhorn Gallery

Shaft of Babel (Excavation)
Schacht von Babel (Aushub), 2002
Lambda print
Courtesy: Hans schabus and Engholm Engelhorn Gallery

The Last Land
Austrian Pavilion, Venice Biennale
2005
Photo © Bruno Klomfar
Courtesy: Hans schabus and Engholm Engelhorn Galerie, Vienna

Shaft of Babel
Schacht von Babel
2002
Lambda print
Courtesy: Hans schabus and Engholm Engelhorn Gallery

New Commission by Hans Schabus. Next Time I’m Here, I’ll Be There.
March 1, - June 1, 2008

For his first UK solo show, Hans Schabus transforms the architectural space of The Curve into a scenario for a fictional journey. (Above images are of previous shows, as noted by the Barbican Gallery).

Austrian artist Hans Schabus is the latest contemporary artist commissioned to make a new work for The Curve as part of the Curve Art series.  On visiting the gallery Schabus was inspired to discover that the height and length of the vast curving wall that dominates the space is the same as that of a Boeing 747 aeroplane.  For his first UK solo show, Schabus covers this wall with an assortment of chairs sourced from every corner the Barbican. Bolted and strapped to the outer wall, the 461 chairs are arranged by colour and style to form the seating plan of an aeroplane.  To complement the installation, Schabus streams live sound into the gallery from different points around the Barbican, highlighting the transitional spaces within the centre.

Chairs, whether they are office, theatre or cafe seats, play a key and often symbolic role in our lives. They can represent power or subservience; can bring together or segregate. They can signify an identity or hierarchy, and can be used to enforce a state of control. Equally, chairs can be used to transport us physically and emotionally. Whilst in a theatre chair for example, one is allocated a particular seat but is transported to a fictional world through the theatrical experience. Here the specific arrangement and diversity of chairs draws the viewer’s attention to the varied function of chairs and how they are incorporated in our daily lives. Whilst in the confines of an aeroplane the seating plan subjects the traveller to strict rules and regulations whilst literally carrying the passenger to their destination.

By projecting sound into one specific area of the Barbican, Schabus highlights the movement within the whole centre; the chattering of staff and visitors as they come and go, the electronic sounds of the lifts, passing footsteps, audiences taking their seats in the concert hall will subtly echo through the gallery. The combination of used chairs and real sound allows us to imagine The Curve as a microcosm of the Barbican. The viewer is invited to contemplate the constant flow of people, ideas and experiences through the Centre.

The third component of the installation is a self-published pamphlet. Artists’ books are central to Schabus’s practice, and for this project he is producing a 16-page black and white publication to be distributed free of charge within the gallery. Exploring the history and symbolism of the ‘chair’ this modest publication helps to conceptually underpin the entire project.

Journeys are a re-occurring element in Schabus’s work, whether he physically draws the viewer through a space or sets the scene for a metaphorical journey. Referencing ideas of ‘non-places’ suggested by French Theorist Marc Augé, Schabus’s work often examines the transient nature of public space and ideas of journeys that lead nowhere.

For his first UK solo show in the unique context of The Curve, Schabus will draw on elements form the architectural vocabulary of the Barbican Centre.

For more information please visit: The Barbican Gallery
-Joanne Molina

Comments

[christine Bruckbauer]

i wonder if there is a preview of the opening, so that i can meet the artist?

[Joanne- Curated Object]

Great question, Christine. I just made a query and will let you know.. stay tuned and thanks for stopping by... Joanne