Shibboleth
Nov 12th, 2007 by Ann
Shibboleth is the latest work of art to be installed in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall. The artist, Doris Salcedo’s decision to use the structure of the hall itself is a first. Previous artists have chosen to fill the space, whether with sound, light, boxes or a giant spider. Salcedo’s Shibboleth is a chasm that runs along the length of the hall, a dark crack in the usually shiny concrete.
Salcedo says the piece is about racism and colonialism in the modern world and that the she hopes the work will make us look at the aspects of our history (and by ‘our’ I assume she is referring to Western history) that we tend to gloss over at time or make excuses for.
I do not see the piece like this. I haven’t seen it in person yet, but having visited the Tate almost monthly during the seven years I lived in London, I can imagine it looks amazing, so all reflections are based on the photos. I see the piece to be about destruction and death; a chasm into the depths of hell; Dante and Disney both spring to mind. Earthquakes creating chasm, opening us up to the darkness that resides in the centre of the earth - this concept of evil and danger is so strong in our culture, whether in cartoons or literature. It reminds me of the Grand Canyon and I think about how such an phenomenal natural landmark bring about such opposite sentiments. Obviously the two are not comparable in size, but that is what comes to mind. I also can’t help think about how the piece is made, how will the floor be repaired after the show is over, thus bringing me around to how habit and sense of security are related to the architecture of our surroundings. The crack makes me uncomfortable, not because it reminds me of colonialism, but rather because it reminds me of how easy it is for us to be deceived of the structural strength of modern buildings.
The Art Life (via New Art) points out that while her concerns about European racism towards immigrants is definitely a worth cause and applauds her for getting so much press coverage for the piece, she is also greatly restricting how people see the chasm.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and make some slightly offensive remarks about the Tate and how it treats its customers. When The Tate Modern first opened one of the main points of praise was that it was a museum that welcomed the masses, i.e. the museum that was supposed to be accessible to those outside of the intelligentsia and the elite intellectuals that tend to swarm the Serpentine and other London galleries and museums. And it has sort of remained this pinnacle of accessible culture, although I know many people dispute whether this is actually true. Never the less, this is one of the Tate’s philosophies: bring art to the masses.
The problem is when you start assuming that the masses don’t have enough sense of imagination to look at art without having it explained to them. Yes, I understand that Salcedo is going to explain her work. But one of the problems with political art is that is often errs too much on the political than on the art. This piece is a source of danger, wonder, fear, nature, and so much more and suggest you hop on over to the Tate website to look at some more images.