(9/13 – 11/2/2013) http://whitecube.com/exhibitions/
I saw Gates’ work at the Documenta 13: A transformation of an abandoned house in Kassel, a refurbishment through collective effort. For Gates, a house is a container for a community. And even though he works with houses and building materials, it is the community which lies in the center of his artistic practice. So I was very curious how his work will feel in the luxury-shop like exhibition space at White Cube. It felt utterly dead. Selected pieces of the Documenta 13 carcass have been on show, similar to limbs ripped off a dead body, displayed like pieces of meat at a butcher’s shop: Nicely pre-cut slices, neatly packaged, waiting to be sold. And when it comes including a touching corporate responsibility feature story, as Gates’ work does, I am sure the sales went well.