British artist Ryan Gander

for Time capsule, 2006

presented by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director Exhibitions and Programmes, Director of International Projects at the Serpentine Gallery, London

Ryan Gander’s work Time Capsule belongs in a very original way to the border zone of art and archtecture, as the most conceptual part of the exhibition Nine projects for the Pavillon de l’Esprit Nouveau, that took place at MAMbo in Bologna in 2006. The original meaning of the Pavillon de l’Esprit Nouveau as a symbol of the modernist utopia projected towards the future and the idea of World Fairs as prototypes of virtual entertainment lead us to the conceptual and fragmented world of Ryan Gander. Through a mimetic process, the artist fusions ideas, narrative and fantasy as tools for historical documentation and ingenious re-creation. Raising questions also on the nowadays role and mission – not to forget power- of art museums, which is a most discussed topic worldwide on the art scene. Ryan Gander’s work is a visionary, conceptual monument to the memory of the present; at the same time it is a strong statement of the artist’s faith in the future and the continuity that art is able to generate.

In this occasion, the artist book Intellectual colours - Catalogue of Nine projects for l'Esprit Nouveau, was co-edited with SilvanaEditoriale - Cinisello Balsamo, Milan.