John Latham, Belief System 1959. Tate. © John Latham Estate, courtesy Lisson Gallery, London.
13 rooms in Modern and Contemporary British Art
In the 1960s artists in Britain adopt a radical approach to question society’s values, merging art with life
At this time, a growing activist counterculture is concerned about civil rights, the threat of nuclear war and interventions by the United States in Asia, Africa and South America. These calls for freedom and resistance anticipate shifts in art and youth culture. Some British artists become part of international experimental art movements such as Fluxus, which makes art out of actions. They use performance, poetry and any materials available to allow chance to shape the outcome of their work.
A pivotal moment is the 1966 Destruction in Art Symposium in London, co-organised by the German artist and activist Gustav Metzger. Over 50 artists, scientists, poets and thinkers from Europe and the United States come to London for a series of performances and discussions. They explore the role of destruction in art and how it relates to this new social and cultural era. Several of the works in this room reflect events and happenings that take place during the symposium.
Some artists engage with scientific and technological developments. They experiment with kinetic sculpture: sculpture that moves. At times, these works aim to express fear of the way machines are used throughout society. Other works explore the vitality of life. The gallery Signals London is an important meeting place for South American and European kinetic sculpture artists in the mid 1960s. It provides a forum for artists who believe in ‘Art’s imaginative integration with technology, science, architecture and our entire environment'.
Raphael Montañez Ortiz, Duncan Terrace Piano Destruction Concert: The Landesmans’ Homage to “Spring can really hang you up the most” 1966
Raphael Montañez Ortiz hit a piano with an axe for his Piano Destruction Concerts. Eurocentric oppression’ and the performance was a ‘ritual of release’. Ortiz linked his work to Indigenous North American Kwakiutl potlatch ceremonies, where property is destroyed by its owner. Composer Fran Landesman invited Ortiz to perform his Destruction Concert on her own piano at her home.
Gallery label, May 2023
1/9
artworks in Creation and Destruction
Pol Bury, 16 Balls, 16 Cubes in 8 Rows 1966
2/9
artworks in Creation and Destruction
John Latham, Belief System 1959
Here, books represent systems of knowledge that John Latham wanted to undermine. He referred to his body of work made using books as ‘Skoob’. Turning ‘books’ backwards represented his aim of overturning their authority. Latham staged ‘Skoob Tower Ceremonies’ as part of the Destruction in Art Symposium. These controversial performances involved setting light to columns of books in front of places with institutional power and knowledge, such as the British Museum.
Gallery label, May 2023
4/9
artworks in Creation and Destruction
Gustav Metzger, Painting on Cardboard c.1961–2
For Gustav Metzger, painting could embody feeling, movement, violence and vulnerability. He used a palette knife instead of a brush to create this dynamic composition. First, he applied the paint. He then attacked the surface with the knife, cutting into the board and scraping the top layers away. From the late 1950s, Metzger experimented with non-traditional art materials, such as the packaging and household paint in this work. Through his process and materials, he explored both construction and destruction
Gallery label, May 2023
5/9
artworks in Creation and Destruction
Liliane Lijn, Time is Change 1964–5
Liliane Lijn wrote the text inscribed on this ‘poem machine’. When it rotates, the central band of repeated words appears to mutate. New words seem to appear. ‘Whenever’ reads as ‘never’ and ‘wherever’ as ‘here’. Activated by movement, language is no longer linear. Lijn said: ‘When I made the Poem Machines, I wanted to renew the power of the word. I believed that words had been emptied of their meaning and only by dissolving them back into their primal vibration could they renew themselves.’
Gallery label, May 2023
6/9
artworks in Creation and Destruction
Mira Schendel, Untitled (Genesis) 1965
Shapes and words in Portuguese are roughly traced across thin sheets of paper and sandwiched between two acrylic sheets. Many are references to the Biblical story of creation and allude to the roles of myth, religion and language in society. Mira Schendel lived in three countries and spoke six languages by the time she settled in Brazil aged 30. Her multi-lingual, multi-cultural experience shaped her interest in how language constructs meaning. Schendel included this work in her 1966 solo exhibition at Signals Gallery, London.
Gallery label, August 2024
7/9
artworks in Creation and Destruction
Jean Toche, Typewriter Destruction 1966
Typewriter Destruction is the remnant of a performance by Jean Toche which took place at Better Books on Charing Cross Road in London. It is one of very few surviving artworks from the 1966 Destruction in Art Symposium. The symposium’s participants were united by a shared interest in the idea that destruction could be a driving force in the creation of an artwork. A radical activist, Toche was an important figure in the New York art scene and a founding member of the Guerrilla Art Action Group (GAAG).
Gallery label, August 2024
8/9
artworks in Creation and Destruction
Art in this room
Raphael Montañez Ortiz
Duncan Terrace Piano Destruction Concert: The Landesmans’ Homage to “Spring can really hang you up the most”
1966
Pol Bury
16 Balls, 16 Cubes in 8 Rows
1966
Sorry, no image available
Harold Liversidge
Auto-Destructive Art -The Activities of G. Metzger
1963
John Latham
Belief System
1959
Gustav Metzger
Painting on Cardboard
c.1961–2
Liliane Lijn
Time is Change
1964–5
You've viewed 6/9 artworks
You've viewed 9/9 artworks