On the occasion of Frieze Week 2018, Vitrine, London is presenting a solo exhibition of work by Tim Etchells. Taking cues from its position in a busy public square, Etchells fills the unique space with a 12 metre-long neon piece that reads ‘For everything that is shown something is hidden’. The letters spelling out the phrase are only alternately illuminated, disrupting the text so that it is only partially visible on first sight.
Adjacent to and in a dialogue with the neon work, round the corner of VITRINE’s window space, Etchells presents a series of photographs taken during the protests that greeted U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the UK. Taken from amidst the marching crowd, the images document the signs that protestors carried, but, rather than the fronts, we see the reverse sides of the placards, revealing the diverse arrangements and colours of crisscrossed tape that holds them together.
Text, spoken and written, is at the heart of Etchells’ practice. Etchells works across a broad range of mediums, including neon, text, performance, and drawing. He is the Artistic Director of Forced Entertainment, the world-renowned Sheffield-based group of artists who collaborate to make projects in theatre and performance.
Tim Etchells at Vitrine, London. Preview and performance, October 1, 2018.
> Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.
Complete video (15:33 min.):