LONDON.- Significant works of art by Joan Miró (1893-1983), Annie Leibovitz (b.1949, USA), Sarrah Morris (b.1967, UK), John Baldessari (b.1931, USA) and more are on public display for the first time in the second of two artist-curated displays drawn from the Hiscox Collection. Berlin-based artist Sol Calero (b. 1982, Venezuela), whose own work takes the form of brightly coloured, immersive installations, transforms the gallery space into a densely-hung environment in celebration of the natural world. The consecutive exhibition series forms part of the
Whitechapel Gallery’s ongoing commitment to showing rarely seen public and private collections.
Desde el Salón (From the Living Room) features 44 artists who share personal and poetic responses to nature and the domestic realm through their work. Within Calero’s imagined world, Yto Barrada (b. 1971, France) examines the botanical landscape of Tangier, while Polly Apfelbaum (b. 1955, USA) eschews what she refers to as the ‘big, macho canvas’ in favour of colourful, exuberant florals. David Batchelor (b. 1955, Scotland) re-purposes factory scraps into hypnotic lightbox sculptures that emit a soft glow upon Sol LeWitt’s (b. 1928-2007) Irregular Form and Pio Abad’s (b. 1983, Philippines) silk twill scarf depicting Filipino artefacts.
Amongst the myriad paintings, sculptures, textiles, ceramics and photographs borrowed from Hiscox’s international offices, Calero reflects upon the act of collecting and prompts viewers to consider the objects that fill domestic spaces. As part of her own practice, Calero further explores themes of representation, identity, displacement and marginalisation, informed by her own perspective as a migrant.
Global specialist insurer Hiscox have been collecting modern and contemporary art for over 50 years. The collection comprises 1000 works by renowned artists, including Grayson Perry, Tacita Dean and Peter Doig. With no single work ever in storage, this living collection is displayed across the company’s 35 global offices – on the walls of common areas and meeting rooms, enlivening the working environment with art that provokes thought or sparks creativity.
The exhibition further features work from Phillip Allen (b.1967, UK), Willem J. Blaeu (1571-1638), Alighiero Boetti (1940-1994), Marc Camille Chaimowicz (b. 1947, France), Christo and Jeanne-Claude (1935-2020; 1935-2009), Willie Cole (b. 1955, USA), Andrew Cranston (b. 1969, UK), Noah Davis (1983-2015), Nathalie Du Pasquier (b.1957, France), Lilah Fowler (b.1981, UK), Daniel Gordon (b.1980, USA), Richard Hamilton (1922-2011), Gil Heitor Cortesao (b.1966, Portugal), Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017), Agnieszka Kurant (b.1978, Poland), Jim Lambie (b.1964, Scotland), Peter Lanyon (1918-1964), Maria de Lima (b. 1985, Brazil), Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato (1900-1995), Eddie Martinez (b.1977, USA), Nancy Milner (b.1986, UK), Richard Mosse (b.1980, Ireland), Malgorzata Neubart (b.1977, Poland), Jorge Pedro Nuñez (b.1976, Venezuela), Chris Ofili (b. 1968, UK), Pavel Pepperstein (b.1966, Russia), Benedetto Pietromarchi (b.1972, Italy), Tal R (b. 1967, Israel), Abigail Reynolds (b.1975), John Riddy (b.1959, UK), Martin Soto Climent (b.1977, Mexico), Jeni Spota (b.1982, USA), Brent Wadden (b. 1979, Canada) and Ali Zitouni (b. 1974, Morocco).
Calero’s curated display follows Accelerate your escape, in which British painter Gary Hume invited viewers to escape the everyday and find new joys and sorrows in the works he selected from the Hiscox Collection.
