Heather Phillipson Has Transformed Tate Britain Into a ‘Pre-Post-Historic Environment’
The British artist has a penchant for creating ecstatic experiences through a myriad of mediums and imagery.
Heather Phillipson is an English artist with a penchant for sparking ecstatic experiences. In the past, she has created a humorous sculpture in London’s Trafalgar Square, along with turning Berlin’s Martin-Gropius-Bau into a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie. For her latest installation, Phillipson has been commissioned by Tate Britain to transform its galleries through sound, color, and a multitude of disparate imagery.
In “RUPTURE NO 1: BLOWTORCHING THE BITTEN PEACH,” the artist describes her work as a “pre-post-historic environment,” where she deliberately cultivates strangeness to arouse unexpected thoughts within the viewer. Working across a wide array of mediums, Phillipson maps out her mind using reclaimed machinery, massive papier-mâché sculptures, and bisected aircraft fuel tanks, to more traditional painterly elements and use of video.
She describes this explosion of visual references as “quantum thought experiments.” Each showcasing a different system that may be in danger of collapse. “RUPTURE NO 1: BLOWTORCHING THE BITTEN PEACH” is on view at Tate Britain until January 23.
Also on view, Regen Projects is showcasing an extensive exhibition on Jack Pierson.
Tate Britain
Duveen Galleries
Millbank
London SW1P 4RG
