Space Shifters

Past exhibition

26 SEP 2018 – 6 JAN 2019
Hayward Gallery

Installation view of Richard Wilson's 20:50 (1987) at Space Shifters, Hayward Gallery 2018. Photo: Mark Blower
Installation view of Richard Wilson's 20:50 (1987) at Space Shifters, Hayward Gallery 2018. Photo: Mark Blower

A major group exhibition of sculptures and installations that explored perception and space

Featuring 20 artists and spanning a period of roughly 50 years, the exhibition included innovative, minimalist sculpture from the 1960s as well as recent works that extend the legacy of this ‘optical’ minimalism in different ways. It also featured new commissions that have been made in response to the architecture of the Hayward Gallery.

About the exhibition

Many of the artworks in this exhibition were constructed from translucent materials such as glass, acrylic and polyester resins. Others involved the use of reflective materials, including stainless steel, polished bronze and, in one case, engine oil.

Luscious and seductive – and often demonstrating huge technical accomplishment – these objects act as optical devices that enable us to see our surroundings in new and unexpected ways. In bringing together artworks that activate our perception of Hayward’s unique building, Space Shifters provided a dramatic and fitting conclusion to the gallery’s 50th anniversary year.

★★★★★

"Illusion-inducing art to make you gasp... don’t miss this one"

EVENING STANDARD

Featured Artists

Leonor Antunes, Larry Bell, Fred Eversley, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Jeppe Hein, Roni Horn, Robert Irwin, Ann Veronica Janssens, Anish Kapoor, Yayoi Kusama, Alicja Kwade, John McCracken, Josiah McElheny, Helen Pashgian, Charlotte Posenenske, Fred Sandback, Monika Sosnowska, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, De Wain Valentine and Richard Wilson.