Hauser & Wirth’s normally pristine North Gallery has taken a surprising green turn for its new exhibition of works by the late Japanese artist Tetsumi Kudo (1935-1990).
Mounted in collaboration with Andrea Rosen Gallery, the show sees the London gallery carpeted wall-to-wall in Astroturf. The installation, conceived by Oliver Renaud Clément, transforms the space into a lush green backdrop for Kudo’s neon penis terrariums and grotesque sculptures.
The exhibition focuses on a selection of works created in the 1960s and early 70s, dating from Kudo’s first ten years in Paris. Both Kudo’s dome works – decaying eco systems housed inside mini-Perspex spheres – and his cube series (small boxes containing decaying cocoons and shells) are on show. They’re equal measures eerie and comedic – a reflection on the decomposition of nature, and subsequently humanity.
The highlight of the show is certainly Kudo’s ‘Garden of the Metamorphosis in the Space Capsule’ (1968): a die magnified to over 3.5 sq m, with a small, circular door inviting viewers to clamber into a UV-lit interior. Inside, tall fluorescent flower stems loom over a floor littered with molten cotton skin, penises and silhouettes of body parts.
Kudo’s paintings and installations stem from a fixation with the impact of nuclear disasters and the excess of consumerism fuelled by the post-war economic boom. It’s little wonder why – the Osaka-born artist spent a significant portion of his youth in the town of Okayama, a neighbor of nuclear-devastated Hiroshima. And even in the whimsy of his Technicolor artworks, that somberness is inescapable.
Mounted in collaboration with Andrea Rosen Gallery, the show sees the London gallery carpeted wall-to-wall in Astroturf. © Estate of Tetsumi Kudo, ADAGP, Paris, ARS, New York and DACS, London 2015, Hiroko Kudo. Courtesy of Hauser & Wirth and Andrea Rosen Gallery.
'Graft '72 (Greffe '72)', by Tetsumi Kudo, 1972.
The exhibition focuses on a selection of works created in the 1960s and early 70s, dating from Kudo’s first ten years in Paris. © Estate of Tetsumi Kudo, ADAGP, Paris, ARS, New York and DACS, London 2015, Hiroko Kudo. Courtesy of Hauser & Wirth and Andrea Rosen Gallery.
Both Kudo’s dome works – decaying eco systems housed inside mini-Perspex spheres – and his cube series (small boxes containing decaying cocoons and shells) are on show. © Estate of Tetsumi Kudo, ADAGP, Paris, ARS, New York and DACS, London 2015, Hiroko Kudo. Courtesy of Hauser & Wirth and Andrea Rosen Gallery.
'Your Portrait' (exterior), by Testumi Kudo, 1966.
'Your Portrait', by Testumi Kudo, 1966.
'Your Portrait - R', by Tetsumi Kudo, 1965-1966.
The installation, conceived by Oliver Renaud Clément, transforms the space into a lush green backdrop for Kudo’s neon penis terrariums and grotesque sculptures. © Estate of Tetsumi Kudo, ADAGP, Paris, ARS, New York and DACS, London 2015, Hiroko Kudo. Courtesy of Hauser & Wirth and Andrea Rosen Gallery.
'Cultivation of Nature & People Who Are Looking At It', by Tetsumi Kudo, 1970-1971.
'Votre Portrait T', by Tetsumi Kudo, 1965-1966.
Kudo’s paintings and installations stem from a fixation with the impact of nuclear disasters and the excess of consumerism fuelled by the post-war economic boom. © Estate of Tetsumi Kudo, ADAGP, Paris, ARS, New York and DACS, London 2015, Hiroko Kudo. Courtesy of Hauser & Wirth and Andrea Rosen Gallery.
'Your Portrait - F', by Tetsumi Kudo, 1963.
INFORMATION
Tetsumi Kudo runs until 21 November 2015
ADDRESS
Hauser & Wirth
North Gallery
23 Savile Row
London W1S 2ET
-
Louis Vuitton drafts contemporary artists to use the house’s silk ‘carré’ scarf as a colourful canvasIn a tradition which dates back to the 1980s, Louis Vuitton has asked five artists to reimagine its silk carré scarf using floral motifs
-
'It’s not so much about art, it's more about the process': Tim Burton at the Design Museum'The World of Tim Burton' is now open at the Design Museum.
-
Bedside lamps for illuminated nightsThe Wallpaper* edit of the best design-focused bedside lamps and where to buy them: warm and bright autumn nights with this edit of bedside lamps for your room
-
The lesser-known Los Angeles galleries contributing to a vibrant art sceneOutside of LACMA, MOCA and The Broad, these independent LA galleries are major players in the art world
-
Larry Bell explores the ethereal nature of glass in MonacoLarry Bell's retrospective at Hauser & Wirth, Monaco, unites old and new work
-
Los Angeles art exhibitions: the best shows to see in NovemberRead our pick of the best Los Angeles art exhibitions to see this month, from Doug Aitken's Lightscape at Walt Disney Concert Hall to Gustav Metzger at Hauser & Wirth
-
Nicole Eisenman explores the dimensions of sculpture and painting at Hauser & Wirth ParisNicole Eisenman presents ‘with, and, of, on Sculpture’, her first retrospective at Hauser & Wirth Paris drawing inspiration from political challengers to ABBA
-
The Roth Bar at Hauser & Wirth Somerset serves up a cocktail of salvaged materialsArt and entertaining meet in Oddur Roth’s bar sculpture at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, a site-specific installation and social hub
-
Who is the future of British art? Hauser & Wirth Somerset finds out‘Present Tense’ at Hauser & Wirth Somerset showcases some of Britain’s most exciting emerging talents with a group show of 23 artists
-
Cindy Sherman’s unsettling, fragmented portraits go on show in New YorkCindy Sherman unveils 30 new works at Hauser & Wirth, New York
-
Hauser & Wirth marks its Paris opening with an inaugural Henry Taylor exhibitionHauser & Wirth has opened its doors to its first gallery in Paris
