American writer E.B. White once said that New York was the nation’s metropolitan symbol of ‘aspiration and faith’, a place that famously never sleeps...
American writer E.B. White once said that New York was the nation’s metropolitan symbol of ‘aspiration and faith’, a place that famously never sleeps and where dreams come true. The city has captured the imagination of countless artists, filmmakers and musicians, which is why it seems fitting to dedicate a whole multifarious exhibition to its urban landscape. Pioneers of the Downtown Scene, New York 1970s at the Barbican Art Gallery examines the work of three leading individuals in the emerging arts scene in Manhattan during the 1970s. With documentations on display from Laurie Anderson, Trisha Brown and Gordon Matta-Clark, the exhibition features a harmonious mix of installations, drawings, narrative photography, sculptures and performance pieces that focus on the group’s shared concerns about the city environment. The city acts as a muse for each artist, its looming silhouette their stage for expression and a backdrop in which they can fully immerse themselves to form a figurative working relationship with New York. Found spaces are explored and utilised by the artists through their innovative interaction with urban media – creating exhibition opportunities in the city’s derelict sites and abandoned warehouses.
One running theme throughout the exhibition is the addressed issue of New York on the verge of bankruptcy, and how each artist responded to the threat of dwindling finance, high levels of unemployment and the gradual disappearance of the manufacturing industry. By nurturing emerging artists and providing the building blocks for the downtown art scene and community, Anderson, Brown and Matta-Clark collectively encouraged the celebration of their city through interaction with the public, daring visual art and performance and creating often experimental representations of the infamous skyline. The Barbican Art Gallery will be home to daily choreographed work through dance and music to fully engage with the displayed work, many of which have never been displayed in London before.
Laurie Anderson, Trisha Brown, Gordon Matta-Clark - Pioneers of the Downtown Scene, New York 1970s at the Barbican Art Gallery until 22 May.
