Sudden Glory: Sight Gags and Slapstick in Contemporary Art
Jan. 19–Mar. 9, 2002
With a title derived from philosopher Thomas Hobbes's description of laughter as "sudden glory," this exhibition offers a reinterpretation of the importance of slapstick in contemporary art. Inspired by such precedents as Bruce Nauman's early Samuel Beckett–inspired performances and Paul McCarthy's libidinal vaudeville, the artists in this show elaborate on a grammar of sight gags and pratfalls that conjure physical failings even as they evoke a longing for transcendence.
Featured artists
Ingar Dragset & Michael Elmgreen
Gelatin
Martin Kersels
Jim Lambie
Steve McQueen
Helen Mirra
Hirsch Perlman
John Pilson
Matthew Ronay
David Shrigley
Roman Signer
Marijke van Warmerdam
John Wood
Paul Harrison
