Thomas Hirschhorn Ausstellung Thomas Hirschhorn exhibition Never give up the spot
Culture & Society

“Never Give Up The Spot”: modern art between aesthetics and ruin

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On 19th October 2018, the Munich Museum Villa Stuck opened the exhibition “Never Give Up The Spot” by Thomas Hirschhorn on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

Thomas Hirschhorn exhibition “Never Give up the Spot”

The smell of fresh wall paint is in the air, styrofoam and lianas from package tape adorn the floor. The view of the three-storey ruin landscape lets the visitor re-grasp the understanding of autonomous works of art.

In contrast to the otherwise palatial rooms of the Villa Stuck, the Swiss sculptor Thomas Hirschhorn welcomes his visitors to the ruins. He offers them the opportunity to participate in the conversation and the artwork itself for free development. Tools, spray cans, pens, computers and printers are available for use. Thomas Hirschhorn urges the exhibition visitors to continue spreading the art with the hashtag #NeverGiveUpTheSpot in social media.

The three shelters with comfortable sofas and coffee bar invite you for a short break and for conversations with other museum visitors. For further communication in the installation, the artist also provides a microphone, speakers and projectors. The sculpture in the new studio building of Villa Stuck is recommended for anyone who would like to participate in art.

The constant change makes the installation seem timeless. “It’s an upside-down Potemkin village. Accordingly, the rooms are not presented better than they are, but the condition of the rooms is presented in a worse way than it is in reality,” says Hirschhorn’s comparison with the landscape of ruins. Born in 1957 in Bern, the sculptor now lives in Paris. So far, he has received considerable awards and prizes. He accepted, among others, the Roland Prize for Art in Public Space (2003) and the Prix Meret Oppenheim (2018).

Thomas Hirschhorn exhibition

Thomas Hirschhorn’s work stand out by the desire to address a wide, non-exclusive public, and make it accessible to them. In order to create this non-hierarchical location, the Museum Villa Stuck grants free admission to the exhibition, as requested by the artist. A few more exclusive insights can be found in the guided tours of the exhibition by and with Ronald Wenninger, curator of the exhibition, and Dr. Sabine Schmid, project coordinator, win. (You can find the dates for the guided tours here *.)

Every visitor can read the artist’s book “Destruciton is difficult. It is as difficult as creation. (Antonio Gramsci)” for free. Among other things, the artist hopes to recall the difficulty of abolishing unequal traditions, prevailing customs and absurd circumstances.

“Never Give Up The Spot” runs from 19 October 2018 to 3 February 2019 at the Museum Villa Stuck. The sculpture will be demolished after the exhibition period.

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