‘Hardcore’, at Sadie Coles HQ is a new group exhibition of 18 artists, homing in on the power dynamics of sex, the wide-ranging nature of intimacy, and our personal and social response to it.
Curated by Sadie Coles and John O’Doherty and on view until 5 August 2023, the London art exhibition shatters the status quo and explores how, amid the noise of cancel culture, discussions around complex and more nuanced sexuality have been quietened. The artistic voices in this show are nothing of the sort; they are loud, brazen, and unapologetically test the parameters of the human experience, keep questions open, and penetrate distinctive psychological experiences of intimacy through creativity.
Tishan Hsu, Download Double Interface - Green, 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Empty Gallery, Hong Kong
As Reba Maybury describes in an essay to accompany the show, ‘This exhibition has no straight lines and sex is never identical, it is always unique. To make work from the position of a subjective sexuality is not easy. It takes a hardcore to swerve the inevitable variations of sensation that others choose to project upon these artists. Choosing to create from this place could be considered a vulnerable decision but vulnerability is, after all, the ultimate power.’
The artists featured in the show are Darja Bajagić, Monica Bonvicini, Miriam Cahn, Elaine Cameron-Weir, King Cobra (documented as Doreen Lynette Garner), Bob Flanagan and Sheree Rose, Maryam Hoseini, Tishan Hsu, Stanislava Kovalcikova, Bruce LaBruce, Tayeba Begum Lipi, Monica Majoli, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Carolee Schneemann, Joan Semmel, Cindy Sherman and Andra Ursuţa.
Joan Semmel, For Foot Fetishists, 1977
To coincide with ‘Hardcore’, Sadie Coles HQ has collaborated with Climax Books, to curate a presentation of artist books and cultural ephemera in response to the show. Founded by Isabella Burley in 2020, Climax Books is a London-based distributor specialing in rare ephemera, periodicals, erotica, VHS tapes, anthologies and books on art, photography and counterculture. The collection will be displayed on the ground floor at 62 Kingly Street for the duration of ‘Hardcore’, with all items available to buy.
Carolee Schneemann, Vulva's Morphia ,1995
'Hardcore' is on view at Sadie Coles HQ, 62 Kingly Street W1, until 5 August 2023. sadiecoles.com
-
Tranquil and secluded, Lemaire’s new Tokyo flagship exudes a sense of homeIn Tokyo’s Ebisu neighbourhood, Lemaire’s tranquil new store sees the French brand take over a former 1960s home. Co-artistic directors Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran tell Wallpaper* more
-
‘I wanted to create a sanctuary’ – discover a nature-conscious take on Balinese architectureUmah Tsuki by Colvin Haven is an idyllic Balinese family home rooted in the island's crafts culture
-
‘Concrete Dreams’: rethinking Newcastle’s brutalist pastA new project and exhibition at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle revisits the radical urban ideas that changed Tyneside in the 1960s and 1970s
-
At Sadie Coles HQ, artists bring a playful sensuality to lampsSadie Coles HQ’s ‘Shine On’ exhibition in London features sculptural lighting by Sarah Lucas, Urs Fischer, and more (until 27 April 2024)
-
Frieze London 2023: what to see and doEverything you want to see at Frieze London 2023 and around the city in our frequently updated guide
-
British artist Hilary Lloyd on fusing textile, sound and video in her practiceAhead of her installation at Loewe’s Miami boutique, we speak to the Turner Prize nominee about nightclubs, technology and how they tie into her current exhibition at Sadies Coles HQ
-
Home girls: female artists explore domestic architectures at Sadie Coles -
California calling: Raymond Pettibon embraces sex, sports and surfing -
Art Basel Miami Beach 2014: big-ticket artists and collectors bring the Floridian fair to the fore -
Art Basel Miami Beach 2013: The Florida fair steps out of the shadows of its Swiss sibling
