A passengeroperated lift (76 x 110cm) connects the two floors. The British choreographer and provocateur, now 58, is the subject of an eye-popping exhibition at the Barbican Art Gallery. Please bring proof of discount status where possible. Peter Doig I would argue that Michael is one of the most important British artists of our generation. In order to recreate the buzz of Clark’s work, the exhibition uses a video technology that didn’t exist when most of it was originally made. Your group must keep a safe distance from other groups when you’re here. He allowed me to put him in unexpected places and contexts, and he was very playful with it. Teaming up with scenesters like the performance artist Leigh Bowery (a frequent model for Lucian Freud), the experimental design duo BodyMap and rock bands like the Fall and Wire, Mr. Clark became known for his provocative, surrealist shows. We advise young children and those those affected by loud sounds to bring some form of ear protection. Imogen Clark. He was in a couple of films of mine, and then in 1984 I did the lighting for him and Ellen van Schuylenburch in a duet called “New Puritans,” which was on his company’s first program. No one was thinking about careers and brands, they were just in Leigh’s council flat, rolling along, cooking something up. You will need to bring wired headphones with a 3.5mm jack. It will showcase his unique multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates a wide range of subcultural influences. Take your own earphones and pace yourself: one of his rarest and most controversial pieces – the 1989 gallery commission, Heterospective, which includes his infamous solo with a heroin syringe – is parked right next to the exit. This exploration of Clark’s work establishes his radical presence in British cultural history. Groups is open Mon-Fri so we'll aim to respond by the next working day. He has worked in so many different arenas that even hardcore fans couldn’t possibly have seen everything: among the gems is a stunning film from 2008 which looks like an Edward Hopper pastel, the dancers merging with stripes of sunlight on the roof of Le Courbusier’s Cité Radieuse in Marseille. We were completely on the same wavelength about music; he loves Stravinsky and Satie, but also Bowie, Nina Simone, Iggy Pop. “I can still remember the packed audience, the sense of event that Michael was always so brilliant at creating.”, These were Mr. Clark’s golden years. Charles Atlas He was always easy. His works were electrifying. As part of these measures only one reasonably-sized bag (no larger than 32cm L x 18cm W x 22cm H) per person may be taken inside our venues and all bags may be searched by a member of our team. Michael Clark was born in 1962 in rural Aberdeenshire, the youngest of five siblings growing up on a farm. More info on group bookings here. How can he have become so respectable? Tom Van Der Borght wins the 35th International Festival Hyères. Elizabeth Peyton; via Sadie Coles HQ, London. He has literally imported his biography into his work by including his mother, Bessie, in it – notably in his 1994 ballet, O, in which she appeared, bare-breasted, in a re-enactment of his own birth. Wolfgang Tillmans; via Galerie Buchholz Berlin/Cologne; Maureen Paley, London/Hove; David Zwirner, New York. Location We ask that, where possible, visitors avoid bringing large bags to the Centre. October 21, 2020. Doors normally in open position during exhibition hours. Under 14s: Free. As a choreographer, he was very trusting. Wolfgang Tillmans Michael is interested in so many other things, and that creates criticisms of a lack of purity, of a watering-down or choosing an easier option. Author, playwright and journalist Ali Smith describes the elation of experiencing Michael Clark’s most recent work, featuring fearless dancers in a gorgeous triple bill of arresting choreography. Age 14-25? Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer is at the Barbican, London, from 7 October to 3 January. Our reciprocal agreement with other art institutions is currently suspended. Get the latest news from the Barbican. Ticket desk 98cm with a drop section of 76cm. “But when he came back after his hiatus, you felt he was more interested in the dance; in some of the later work, everything is sculpted, nothing is wasted. Share this: Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Sort by Support us. The first major exhibition of dancer and choreographer Michael Clark. If you need assistance, staff will be happy to help. Given how enigmatic he is, and how in control of everything he does, I was surprised how easygoing and open he was when I photographed him. Mr. Clark in a publicity photograph for “Mmm…” (1992). Lorena Randi and Victoria Insole in “Before and After: The Fall” (2001) in Berlin. In 1989 he started a relationship with the choreographer Stephen Petronio. The exhibition, said Florence Ostende, the show’s curator, is shaped as “a love letter” from Mr. Clark’s artist friends and collaborators, showing his work through the multiple guises of film, photography, painting, graphic work, costumes and design. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation we are asking all guests to bring their own pair of headphones in order to watch the videos in the exhibition as safely as possible. Mon-Fri 11am-7pm. Sophie Fiennes He was coming out of the Thatcher era and an anti-establishment wave was a big part of that time, but Michael was just in the present moment; even Stravinsky was in the present for him. NHS staff: £11 Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance. Oct. 7 to Jan. 3 at the Barbican Art Gallery, London; barbican.org.uk. Large-print exhibition information Tel: 020 7382 7211 (Mon–Fri 10am–5pm). He was independent and making work at 21. You don’t have to be a dance aficionado to wonder how on earth any of this wild and wonderful stuff is written down. Find out more. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies and our privacy policy, We are a Covid-secure venue, so the new tier 2 guidance still allows us to remain open and continue with our planned activity. In 2005 Michael Clark Company became an Artistic Associate of the Barbican and embarked on The Stravinsky Project, a three-year collaboration to create a trilogy of … With Michael, we would talk more about what I was thinking, but essentially he left me to do the best I could do. A poignant feature of any dance exhibition is that such an ephemeral art form is always destined to be remembered largely through its accoutrements: among them are the outrageous costumes designed by Bowery and his collaborator Trojan (Bowery’s nipple-pinching red onesie from 1984’s New Puritans hangs in a small costume section like a discarded condom). Assistance dogs On the second floor, things calm down, with a series of rooms featuring the work of friends and collaborators, who are also his mythologisers. From Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer at the Barbican (Photo: Richard Haughton) I … Unwaged: £12 Thank you for your understanding – we look forward to welcoming you to the Barbican. If you're not sure where to direct your enquiry, contact [email protected]. The secret is that they are never random. But the work was always crafted as well as entertaining. Silk Street, London Students: £11 With eye-popping graphics (“Enjoy God’s Disco” reads an early flyer for his company in Coca-Cola red and white), film installations and high-flyer art-world contributions, the exhibition evokes a moment in which dance wove itself into the fabric of a newly charged youth culture. Public transport The Art Gallery is located on Level 3 and can be accessed by stairs and lifts from Level G or via the Sculpture Court if coming from outside. The Art Gallery has two levels, linked by a flight of 24 stairs with an intermediate landing. I was drawn to the cottage-industry feel of Michael’s work. Save for later Event saved. He was the precursor for a lot of approaches to presenting dance that people tried later. Under 14s: Free, Weekends (Sat & Sun) ‘Everything Crossed Over’: Michael Clark’s Cheeky World of Dance. If you don't have the correct headphones or forget them, then we will have some available to purchase in the centre on the day of your visit. Address Charles Atlas, Hail the New Puritan, 1986 Choreography: Michael Clark Costumes: BodyMap and Leigh Bowery. To request a large print copy, please call the Art Gallery on 020 7382 2382 before your visit. The first major exhibition of dancer and choreographer Michael Clark. But the dancing was inventive and rigorous, with strong influences from Merce Cunningham and the Cecchetti ballet technique that Clark was schooled in, as well as from Karole Armitage, whose company he worked with in New York in 1982. Silke Otto-Knapp, artist He never quite gives in to the music.