Roof Off

Thomas Hirschhorn
Born in Bern, Switzerland, in 1957.
He lives and works in Paris, France.

Originally trained as a graphic designer, Thomas Hirschhorn has constantly redefined the conventions of sculpture with a practice marked by its commitment to a nonexclusive public. He is well known for his “presence and production”sculptures, which demand that he be present at the site of his work for the entire duration of a project. With this personal ethic of intense engagement, Hirschhorn seeks to invent his own artistic values. His use of cheap, everyday materials reflects his desire to desublimate art. The artist’s earlier sculptures include site-specific altars, monuments, and kiosks dedicated to the work of philosophers and artists with whom he identifies. Those temporary sites of encounter invited audiences to partake in processes of communal learning that extended the notion of sculpture from the object to the event.
In his new work Roof Off (2015) at the 2015 Biennale di Venezia, Hirschhorn continues a line of artistic inquiry that previously resulted in such roof sculptures as Break- Through (2013) and Höhere Gewalt (2014). His latest work dramatically intensifies the viewer’s sense of gravity by seeming to break through the roof of the Biennale’s Central Pavilion. Its irresistible force strengthens the pull toward the center of the space and draws in the spectators, who cannot maintain safe distance; they find themselves compelled to confront the elements that were previously concealed from view. The artist’s use of pieces of text as mere materials underscores that Roof Off needs to be experienced in its forceful materiality, rather than understood as a concept. With its palpable energy the sculpture conveys Hirschhorn’s unrelenting urge to make art that mirrors his programmatic slogan: “Quality no! Energy yes!”