Turner Prize-nominated British artist, Roger Hiorns exhibited his entire body of Youth works for the first time as the inaugural exhibition at The Calder.
Born in 1975 in Birmingham, Hiorns began developing his Untitled series during his studies at Goldsmiths College in the mid-1990s. Ten years younger than fellow Goldsmiths graduate Damien Hirst, and a decade on from the YBAs, Hiorns has become renowned for his ambitious and uncompromising work that asks key questions about mortality, belief and meaning.
Untitled series comprises found objects, including street benches, jet and car engines and stainless steel preparation tables – all ‘activated’ through the presence of a naked youth, a small fire and a simple sequence of actions.
Hiorns further explored the influence and meaning of the Untitled series with an aural intervention in the space that created a connection between Wakefield Cathedral and The Calder. Visitors experienced a backdrop of everyday sounds such as coughs, footsteps, choir practice, organ music or religious services that were transmitted live from the Cathedral into The Calder.
The exhibition coincided with the the Arts Council Collection and Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s display of Seizure 2008/13 by Hiorns. Hiorns has also produced a limited edition cast, available to purchase from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s shop.
‘Since the late 90s, the time of the first showing of this work in Deptford, my interest was in solely presenting the human as being up against apparatus in the world. This is a series of works presenting the artificial surfaces within the world, a group of works that can act as proposals on how to behave. Aircraft machinery was selected for its explicit position within the distinction of worldly power, it’s from a serving military vehicle. Some objects selected are simply benign and easily overlooked. Some propositions are over complicated. A white bench with the addition of brain power is perhaps too much.’
Roger Hiorns
