“Psycho Buildings: Artists Take On Architecture”

Celebrating the Hayward’s nearly forty years of vibrant activity, this anniversary exhibition brings into focus the museum’s ferocious concrete architecture. The show, which takes its title from Martin Kippenberger’s 1988 book of photographs, is not only another study of the relationship between art and architecture. The large-scale architectural environments created by the ten artists (Atelier Bow-Wow, Michael Beutler, Los Carpinteros, Gelitin, Mike Nelson, Ernesto Neto, Tobias Putrih, Tomas Saraceno, Do Ho Suh, and Rachel Whiteread) reflect the building’s sense of space and the visitor’s own physicality by violating the conventions of a museum visit. All the works embrace their viewers fully; some even ask for active participation, though most of the installations maintain strong sculptural qualities, expressed through the use of vivid colors and organic, gentle forms that balance the severity of the Hayward’s concrete design. Each piece is sovereign in its own space—be it a room or a terrace—even if this compartmentalization prevents the works from entering into much of a dialogue. Though notably dissimilar, the ten artists’ practices find an authentic coherence within the exhibition’s context. Displacement and uncertainty become recurrent feelings that ultimately morph the visitor’s initial approach, most likely playful and light, into a weightier sense of drama.