Mike Nelson on Extinction Beckons at Hayward Gallery

In this video the artist gives his own insight into this showcase of his large-scale installations, several of which haven’t been seen since their initial presentation. He begins by highlighting the unusual layout of his exhibition which begins by taking the visitor on a journey through the multiple states of an installation, from storage to presented work. 

The concept of storage has been ever present in Nelson’s career and so fittingly plays a key role in this exhibition as he looks at the evolving state of his work, as it switches between deconstructed and constructed. The artist gives closer consideration to this fluid existence of his works as he talks about The Asset Strippers and how, depending on the angle from which the work is viewed, it can be seen simultaneously as a completed artwork and a collection of materials. 

Nelson also talks about the significance of the Hayward Gallery as a building, and the challenge of creating an exhibition which responds to its architecture.

‘From certain angles when you walk around it, it falls down to become the matter it’s made from, and then from certain angles it becomes more of a majestic monumental sculpture’

Mike Nelson on his work The Asset Strippers