South London Gallery

Pursuit of Perfection: The Politics of Sport

27 Jul - 14 Sep 2012

© Aleksandra Mir
Triumph, 2,529 trophies, 2009
Image courtesy the artist
PURSUIT OF PERFECTION: THE POLITICS OF SPORT
27 July - 14 September 2012

Pursuit of Perfection: The Politics of Sport brings together art works which, in different ways and to varying degrees of seriousness or wit, play on some of the issues raised by sport, the politics surrounding it and its representation in the media. Aleksandra Mir’s spectacular installation Triumph, 2009, comprises 2,529 trophies; a sound piece by Janice Kerbel presents a specially scripted baseball commentary; and works by Roderick Buchanan, Lucy Gunning, Jonathan Monk, Ariel Orozco and Paul Pfeiffer take football as their subject. In Southwark Old Town Hall, John Gerrard’s Exercise (Djibouti) 2012 uses digital technologies to explore aspects of sport, spectacle, military exercise and power. In stark contrast, Michel Auder’s low-tech video collage of clips from TV coverage of the 1984 LA Olympics focuses on the human body, eroticised and mechanised in its pursuit of perfection.

Part of SLG Local which is sponsored by Bloomberg and funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.

Exercise (Djibouti) 2012 is commissioned by the Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art, Oxford University Sport and Modern Art Oxford. Principal Exhibition Supporter: Audiomotion Studios

The installation of Exercise (Djibouti) 2012 at Southwark Old Town Hall is also supported by The White Wall Company.

With thanks to Greengrassi, London; Lisson Gallery, London; Matt's Gallery, London; Thomas Dane Gallery, London; and Selma Feriani Gallery, London.
 

Tags: Michel Auder, John Gerrard, Lucy Gunning, Janice Kerbel, Aleksandra Mir, Jonathan Monk, Ariel Orozco, Paul Pfeiffer