Michael Govan

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The book starts with a 20-page introductory essay by Michael Govan that provides a broad overview, embedding Turrell’s practice in history. It is followed by an in-depth 10-page interview with the artist by Christine Kim that covers his entire life. After that there are 9 chapters, each focusing on a specific area of his work, each with an introductory text of a few pages. There’s also a 11-page essay by E.C. Krupp, astronomer and director of the Griffith Observatory in LA, and a 14-page essay by Alison de Lima Greene, a curator. There is quite a lot of text to digest, but I liked it all. Repetition is kept to a minimum and the quality of the writing is high: this truly is the definitive general monograph on the artist so far.

Throughout the book not only the depth of Turrell’s engagement with his subject matter became clear, but also his status as a contemporary artist. Much of his work is expensive to build, and his massive Roden Crater project – near Flagstaff, Arizona – defies all commercial laws. It illustrates how much money there’s floating around in the world, with billionaires, donations and Kanye West a prerequisite for the project – the 2008 financial crisis delayed the opening of the Crater for a few years. Even though it is not about ideology or anything else but the perception of light on our planet, it seems Roden Crater could not exists outside the capitalist system, and as such it is maybe a fitting 20th and 21st century version of similar monuments like Stonehenge, as it seems like that was a more communal, egalitarian project. At the same time, in the end, Roden Crater will cost less than certain Picassos. Not a defense per se, only a remark that again points at our social structures. While Roden Crater might be a sign of the times, Turrell designed it for the long run, as its optimum will be 2000 years from now. He started the building project in 1974, and the latest word is that it will be completed in about 5 years – I hope to visit it someday, if entry fees will be democratic that is.

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Full review on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten it.… (mehr)