Duration: 06/10/2023 – 22/10/2023
Location: Gagosian Open, 4 Princelet Street, London
Curated by: Elena Geuna
© A. Papaonisiforou, Gagosian Open
This exhibition is the first of a new program series by Gagosian Gallery called Gagosian Open. The program consists of temporary exhibitions within off-site (outside of gallery space) public locations around London. The idea came to life when Gagosian closed one of its larger gallery spaces on Britania Street due to redevelopment plans earlier this year and decided against opening a new gallery space. Instead, Gagosian saw an opportunity to present artworks and installations in unconventional ways.
Christo is the ideal artist to launch an ambitious project as such!
He was a Bulgarian contemporary artist best known alongside his wife, Jeanne-Claude, for their large-scale environmental site-specific artworks.
Christo began his career by experimenting with wrapping structures and objects to preserve them and to make them obsolete. Most of his artworks are everyday objects that lose their key functionality simply by being wrapped in polyethene sheets or fabric and held together by rope.
© A. Papaonisiforou, Gagosian Open
For this exhibition, Gagosian presents Christo’s early artworks from the 60s and 70s inside a Grade II listed building. A preserved terraced Georgian-era house that to this day maintains its original historic condition. The exhibition spans over three floors, with artworks displayed within multiple rooms. The theme of preservation is evident throughout the space. The visible wear and tear around the building, like the peeling layers of paint and worn-out wooden floorboards, match the natural ageing signs of the artwork materials, seen in the yellowing of the polyethene or fabric element of each artwork and
© A. Papaonisiforou, Gagosian Open
Our take
Entering the house feels like stumbling across a space frozen in time. The relationship between the domestic environment and the artworks that resemble ordinary personal belongings is quite powerful. We highly recommend visiting the show and look forward to the next chapter of the Gagosian Open program.
© A. Papaonisiforou, Gagosian Open
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About the author:
Anastasia Papaonisiforou is a London based exhibitions expert with an MA in Curating and Collections and a background in Fine Arts. She is our oldest patron and graciously accepted to cover this topic for Local Approach; she is available to give advice on discord through our “Let’s talk about your heritage!” membership, upon specific request.
[Edited A. Gkouma]
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© A. Papaonisiforou, Gagosian Open
