Mark Leckey creates the M53 motorway bridge at SMK, in Copenhagen
Q&A with Marianne Torp, curator of Mark Leckey’s exhibition at the National Gallery of Denmark, in Copenhagen
03/05/2017
Mark Leckey
“He Thrusts his Fists against the Posts but Still Insists He Sees the Ghosts”
National Gallery of Denmark (SMK), Copenhagen
May 4 - September 3, 2017
Up to early March of this year, Mark Leckey’s retrospective, “Containers and their Drivers”, was on view at New York’s MoMA PS1; now it can be seen here in Northern Europe, at the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK), but under a different name – “He Thrusts his Fists against the Posts but Still Insists He Sees the Ghosts”.
This exhibition constitutes an environment or stage on which Mark Leckey continues his stubborn, desire-driven yet anxious and frustrated search for an unalienated experience. In his ongoing odyssey into a conglomerate of pop culture, seminal historic events, and autobiographical as well as ancient myths, Leckey is returning to particular sources, tropes, and fixations. For the exhibition, Leckey has re-created from memory the M53 motorway bridge in the town where he grew up. Together with sodium lights and other objects and effects, the phantom bridge is embedded in a new sound work. The sound piece itself develops as something of a cross between a lecture, a radio programme, a quasi-autobiographical tale, and a lyrically-infused DJ set. The exhibition simultaneously banishes and animates the powers of the ghosts lurking in the corners of life.
Photo: Mark Blower
What new and unique aspects does this exhibition reveal about Mark Leckey, such a well-known figure in the art world?
“He Thrusts his Fists against the Posts but Still Insists He Sees the Ghosts” is a new show by Mark Leckey in which he, as he often does, is re-staging and further developing exciting works. In this case, he is rebuilding a replica of a motorway bridge from the town in which he grew up. Together with different objects and lights, the bridge will be accompanied by a new sound piece based on a performance that Leckey recently did at PS1.
What will be the highlights of the physical layout for this exhibition?
The bridge embedded in yellow sodium lights and sound will constitute a quite powerful environment with gloomy undercurrents, mixing references to quasi-autobiographical narratives as well as pop cultural sources and seminal historic events.
Could you give us a few highlights of the oeuvre that can be seen in this exhibition?
The show will present it self as one coherent installation featuring new objects and elements from earlier works in a whole new context.
Mark Leckey. Photo: Derek Schultz
Mark Leckey. Photo: Derek Schultz
