Ill Communication

‘Ill Communication’ brought together a fascinating range of artworks from Britain and abroad that engaged with technological advances in travel and communication.

The exhibition presented new and existing works by internationally prominent artists, from formal sculpture by Liam Gillick, to more ephemeral projects such as a free publication by Aleksandra Mir. Works utilised diverse means and materials from Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane’s appropriation of steam-powered engineering to a dysfunctional computer programme devised by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. ‘Ill Communication’ also included a number of iconic, earlier works by Jenny Holzer and On Kawara which, made with now defunct communicative systems, provide crucial precedents to current artistic practice.

The exhibition reflected the ways in which communication has been dramatically altered, particularly with the growth in internet access and use. In doing so ‘Ill Communication’ could also be seen to explore the contemporary art gallery’s role as a locus – a point of intersection between different people and ideas, between the global and local.

Ill Communication

mit Jeremy Deller, Chris Evans, Liam Gillick, Jenny Holzer, Laura Horelli, Alan Kane, On Kawara, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Aleksandra Mir, Philippe Parreno