Shape Shifters


Fascinating exhibition at the Hayward Gallery featuring 20 artists from the last 50 years that explore our perception of space.

All the work altered your perception of the space you were in in some way. For most you could use the magic cliché that “it’s all done with mirrors”. Others divided up the space in an unusual way such as a corner cut off with string giving you a strange idea of the space being a solid object.

The show included performance art with a work by Josiah McElheny which consisted of various set of mirrors set at an angle to each other which were worn by performers and walked round the gallery at certain times. They worked well as a work in themselves but set within other space changing work they had a wonderful effect.

The show played with your mind. I found Alicja Kwade’s room like piece with mirrors and objects in it particularly strange as it gave a sense of not knowing where anything really was even the walls. I was sure I was going to walk into a wall and was surprised that no-one did. I loved Monika Sosnowska’s extension of the hand rail to the second floor as it took you a moment to realise it has continued and was now snaking through the gallery.

The whole show was selfie heaven and you’ll see from the photo I’ve used that even I fell for it in a small way. My only complaint was that the work they have used for the poster had a one hour queuing time as it is a small room. I didn’t have time to wait so you feel you’d missed the star attraction.

Closes on 6 January 2019

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