Denkmal 53, Tate Modern, Bankside 53, London SE1 9TG, 2005 is an extensive work by Belgian artist Jan De Cock that appears not only in the Level 2 Gallery space, but throughout the museum and its landscape. De Cock’s sculptures are placed in sites that are well-travelled but remain relatively invisible within the iconic architecture of Tate Modern, highlighting or disrupting their normative use or appearance.

Built mainly using plywood, De Cock’s free-standing forms resemble the abstract art of early twentieth-century Constructivism. Some echo specific features of Tate’s building such as the entranceway, the chimney, and the Turbine Hall, while others appear in the guise of functional furniture, such as information desks and seating. Exploring the tension within the building between Giles Gilbert Scott’s original design for a power station and the current museum space, De Cock invites us to question the role of these sites in the way we experience and interpret works of art.

The German word denkmal, which appears in the titles of all De Cock’s works, implies both a monument and a memorial. De Cock’s work recalls a moment in the early twentieth century when the ambitions of art and architecture met in the common pursuit of the transformation of society. In this sense it could be read as a memorial to a moment now passed. De Cock’s aim is not, however, merely to yearn for a utopian past, but to provide a new awareness of the significance of architectural space.
 

Jan De Cock was born in 1976 in Brussels, Belgium, where he lives and works.

This exhibition is curated by Jessica Morgan, Curator, Contemporary Art, Tate Modern with assistance from Ann Coxon, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern.

Text by Jessica Morgan