Tate Britain today unveiled a brand new work by Bad Boys Jake and Dinos Chapman

Jake and Dinos Chapman
When Humans walked the Earth: Instalation Shot 1 2007
© The artists, Jay Jopling/White Cube (London). Photo: Photo credit: Rod Tidnam/Tate Photography

With an exhibition currently on at Tate Liverpool the brothers should rightly be feeling very smug with themselves.

When Humans Walked the Earth is allied with their 1993 sculpture Little Death Machine (Castrated), also in the Tate Collection. Elements of the earlier piece – including a brain, milk-bottles and tools - are reproduced in bronze to create a series of impossible machines which imitate states such as breathing and thinking along with other biological states close to the Chapman’s heart, death and sex.
When Humans Walked the Earth references Dada tactics in transforming everyday objects into something that challenges conventional perception. However the objects are cast in the traditional medium of bronze undermining the scatological imagery and the artist’s rebellious streak.
When Humans Walked the Earth is on display at Tate Britain from today.

More opening this thursday

Shay Kun, copyright the artist, courtesy Seventeen Gallery.

At Dalston Kingsland Road’s friendliest of galleries Seventeen will be showing New York based Goldsmiths painter, Shay Kun (18.00 – 21.00) also that night is Lisson’s opening of work by Sean Snyder (18.00 – 20.00) at 52-54 Bell Street and Peter Joseph at number 29.

Back east and the Centre For Recent Drawing launches a solo exhibition True Love by Rachel Cattle (18.00 – 20.00) and White Cube, Hoxton Square, hosts a private view for Christian Marclay (18.00 – 20.00). Artists run space Bartletts group exhibition Why We Are Ourselves opens late till 22.00 and further east Terrace Studios has a group show of three Glasgow College of Art students, 100 Years too Early, 100 Years too late (18.00 – 21.00). If you head south the South London Gallery exhibition of John Armleder also opens on Thursday.

For the start of the weekend both MOT and Cell Project Space both have openings. MOT hosts Good Riddance an interesting looking group show (18.30 – 21.00) and Cell Project Space launches another group show SNAP (18.30 – 21.30).

To round of your night how about AMP + Resurrection Project presents: BACK 2 HACKNEY, featuring:Richard Niman, Mark Jones, Raul Pina, Le Roy Monde, Cedric Christie, Oliver Dungey, Velika Janceva, Gavin Turk, Simon Ould, Mandy McCartin, Homer. R Turdcup, Tony Brennan, Calum F. Kerr, Paul Sakoilsky, Paul Gildea and more, from 18.30 – 21.00 at AMP, 255 Mare Street.

A week of openings around London

We thought it would be useful to list a selection of the best openings and private views at London galleries, so without further ado, here is this weeks listings.



Photograph courtesy Clara Molden

Opening tonight – 23.-01.2007 is Canal at PEER. During January and February 2007, Canal is hosted by Peer where three events will take place. Starting with: Phyllida Barlow presents: A Man Escaped (1956) by Robert Bresson. This is followed by a short reading, 'How to make (or artist as hostage)' which starts at 20.00. Also tonight is Ice Trade, curated by Matt Packer and Kim Dhillon at Chelsea Space (18.00 – 20.30). Stephen Friedman Gallery hosts Memory and Obsession, a group show with a private view between 18.30 and 20.30.
Wednesday 24.01.2007 is the opening of May the Twelfth, a group show at Store , 18.30 and 20.30. Followed on Thursday by opening s of work by Nina Gehl at Trolley (18.30 – 21.00), Caro Neiderer at Hauser and Wirth (18.00 – 20.00) 6-8pm, Abstract Things, at Laura Bartlett from 18.00 – 20.00 and one not to miss at White Cube’s Mason’s Yard: Anselm Kiefer from 18.30 – 20.30.
The same night sees David Ben White open Studio 1.1 (18.00 – 21.00) and young painter Lee Maelzer at Museum 52 (18.00 – 21.00).
On Friday 26.01 there are two eastend events in the form of a screening of Forrest by Brock Enright and Ivan Hurzeler at Keith Talent from 18.30 and Carcus, group show at V22 Ashwin Street, 18.00 – 21.00.
Next week Discksmith opens a solo exhibition of work by Meiro Koizumi on Wednesday (31.01.2207, 18.00 – 20.00) and Emma Hill Eagle Gallery launches the group show Slippery Slope the same night (18. 30 - 20.30).

Turner Prize moves

When Tomma Abts won the Turner Prize this year some claimed that it was about time a woman and a painter won; it is nearly a decade since this happened.



Tomma Abts, Sebo 2002
Gaby and Wilhelm Schurmann © Copyright the artist
Acrylic and oil on canvas, 48 x 38 cm

It is an exciting move for Liverpool to be host to the Turner Prize the year before the city is named European Capital of Culture. Though some cynics may argue that the move is a nod on behalf of the Tate to buzz words such as diversity and access or that it will increase numbers to the small sister of Britain and Modern or even that it will redirect criticism that the Tate is Londoncentric. Whatever your argument the Turner Prize will be missed by London.
The work of the prize’s four short-listed artists will go on display at Tate Liverpool’s Albert Dock gallery from Oct. 19, 2007 to Jan. 13, 2008. The jury of judges has been announced and includes the mighty Thelma Golden, director and chief curator at the Studio Museum, Harlem; Fiona Bradley, director of the Fruit Market Gallery in Edinburgh; critic Michael Bracewell; and broadcaster and writer Miranda Sawyer. Tate Liverpool director Christoph Grunenberg will be chairman of the jury.