CILDO MEIRELES @ TATE Modern, London
OPENING OCTOBER 13, 2008
October 14 2008-January 11 2009
Exhibit Includes: Eurka/Blindhotland 1970-5, Through 1983-9, Mission/Missions (How to Build Cathedrals) 1987 (SEE TOP), Red Shift 1967-84 (SEE BOTTOM), Fontes 1992/2008, Babel 2001, Volatile 1980-94, Southern Cross 1969-70, Glovetrotter 1991, Money Tree 1969
I had the extraordinary luck to be allowed to tag along to the Opening of the first Cildo Meireles exhibit in the UK at TATE Modern on Monday night. The artist himself appeared a zen-seeming man with cheerful Buddha eyes. I can't imagine an experience closer to that of Christmas morning. A wonderfully curated, interactive experience, the exhibit includes one room of Cildo's early work including recycled Brazilian Coke bottles silk screened with almost unnoticeable dexterity with phrases including "Yankee Go Home!" There are also several examples of the "Zero Dollar" in both Brazilian and American currency (terrifyingly apt at the current moment) and "Liberty coins" that have "In God We Trust" on one side and a Coca Cola on the other. Important to note that these are not only pieces of art, but pieces of political unrest that made made their way onto the streets of mainstream Brazil.
While it is important to see the artistic climate that Cildo has emerged from, it is his (sometimes) less blatantly political installation work that makes the best impression at the TATE today. I could gush embarrassingly over the giddy joy that I felt getting to experience a hands on exploration of my personal favorites (Volatile, Red Shift, Through, How to Build Cathedrals, Fontes) but I nearly cringe at not letting you experience the work yourself. In brief- Volatile is a sensory explosion involving a very dark room, three people you've never met, and talc up to your knees. (Word of advice- Don't wear the boots! It is integral to feel this on your bare skin!) Red Shift allows seven people into a series of three gloriously vermilion rooms that tell a story as theatrical as any I have seen onstage (Be sure to look in the refrigerator!) Through has been "safe-guarded" with a layer of plexi over the satisfyingly shattered glass, but retains enough crunch to keep it's dark danger, while Mission/Missions (How to Build Cathedrals) -both a tribute and a curse to the Jesuits who lost their lives in missions throughout Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay- seems untouched since the original installation. It is haunting, simple, and beautiful. I experienced the most joy exploring the clock and ruler maze of Fontes, and encourage everyone to find the center of the spiral before falling into the following UV version of Canal-street inspired installation, Babel.
This is an exhibit not to miss. I believe next stop is a tour to the permanent home of Mission/Missions (How to Build Cathedrals) at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, USA.
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