What's on Exhibitions Monica Bonvicini
Monica Bonvicini
18 November 2016 – 26 February 2017
This exhibition has now closed, find out what else is going on at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
Monica Bonvicini, Not For You, 2007, ©VG Bild-Kunst Photo: Kleinbach
The artist's work explores issues of control, gender, space, surveillance and power.
Just over a decade ago a mysterious mirrored box arrived across the road from Tate Britain. Inquisitive passers-by were bemused to find that this reflective cubicle contained a prison toilet, free for public use. There was one catch; the outhouse featured one-way glass that forced patrons to endure the uncomfortable sensation of conducting their business while fully exposed on the Millbank pavement.
Unsurprisingly, this controversial lavatory garnered much media attention, and Don't Miss A Sec remains one of Monica Bonvinci's most famous works.
She is known for her bold, often aggressive sculpture that question relationships between psychoanalysis, sexuality and architecture, but always infused with a wry sense of humour. '[It] has a lot do to with teasing, both the audience and myself.
'It's not about a statement or a joke that's perfect for the weekly news, but about, at least in the good cases, creating a state of timeless instability, or of non-judgment, or even something very close to embarrassment.'
Her monographic exhibition at Baltic is conceived of new, site-specific works, along with key pieces such as NOT FOR YOU. This gigantic sign made of dazzling light bulbs positively screams hostility, while offering a tongue-in-cheek inquiry into who contemporary art genuinely serves.
Gateshead Quays, South Shore Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 3BA
Daily: 10:00 - 18:00
Last entry 15 minutes before closing
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Exhibitions at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
John Akomfrah: Ballasts of Memory
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Mick Peter: To Me, To You
Elmer and Friends: The Colourful World of David McKee
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Until 8 February 2020
Victoria & Albert: Our Lives in Watercolour
Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle Upon Tyne
The Origins of British Landscape
The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland
Norman Cornish – A Slice of Life
Until 5 January 2020