Oliver Herring

New York-based artist Oliver Herring (b. 1964, Germany) explores human interaction on an intimate level, examining how relationships between individuals develop and deepen and how a sense of community grows. Using very simple materials (paper, pens, tables, chairs, ladders, a "boom box"), Herring will create "Task" on the Hirshhorn Plaza. This day-long project brings together a micro-society of people from the Washington, D.C.-metro area, and encourages them to make art together in a highly visible public setting. The artist, who does not take part in the performance himself, informs the performers of a set of simple instructions and provides them with several tasks that involve their fellow performers and/or the props on the stage. Over the course of the eight-hour event, the performers add tasks to the pool, perpetuating an art piece in which personal interactions, dramas and comedies unfold. The performance will be followed by an evening reception and discussion with the artist and participants. This project is part of the museum's "Directions" series, which has brought the works of leading and emerging international artists to Washington since 1987. "Directions-Oliver Herring" is made possible in part by Ray Graham III, Trellis Fund and the Department of Fine Arts and Art History, George Washington University. The project is organized by assistant curator Kristen Hileman.

Pressetext

Directions - Oliver Herring
Performance
Kurator: Kristen Hileman