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P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
presents Tim Noble and Sue Webster, a selected survey of
artworks by the renowned British artists. Partners in both
life and art, Tim Noble (1966) and Sue Webster (1967) explore
the toxic influences of consumer culture through new modes
of portraiture. Turning garbage into complex and visually
arresting sculptural installations, Noble and Webster exploit,
manipulate and transform base materials, often using self-portraiture
to undermine the “celebrated” authorship of
the artist.
In New Barbarians (1997), Noble and Webster use
fiberglass and translucent resin to create a life-size sculpture
of themselves in the likeness of our primate ancestors.
The hairless and naked Barbarians step in mid-stride out
of a white void, apparently in conversation, with his arm
casually draped around her shoulders. Their nearly human
bodies, his expression of guarded contemplation and her
awe hold both a strange beauty and a primitive honesty.
Dollar Sign (2001) presents the familiar symbol
in a bright display of shimmering white lights. The artwork
functions as a beacon of consumer culture yet remains vague,
as it refuses to be either an overt celebration or condemnation
of what the symbol represents. Though the dollar sign is
broadly representative in our society, stripped of its everyday
context and strung in lights, the symbol itself embodies
only a flashy presentation.
In the gaudy aesthetic of a Las Vegas casino, Forever
(2001) stretches nearly 20 feet in brightly colored neon
lights that spell out “Forever.” Ironically
flickering on and off before the viewer, this piece holds
both the abstract concept for and the trademark of excess
in fleeting focus.
Real Life is Rubbish (2002) consists of two separate
piles of general household rubbish onto which a light is
projected, creating a shadow self-portrait of Noble and
Webster. Though resting with backs to each other and shoulders
hunched, the axe and hammer in their hands indicate that
there is work to be done. The contrast between the intricate
rubbish assemblage of the foreground and the silent contemplative
shadow builders of the background reminds us that artwork
always involves a physical transformation, from rubbish
to real life and back again.
Dirty White Trash (with Gulls) (1998) is composed
of six months’ worth of the artists’ discarded
trash—the same time it took the artists to create
the piece. A slide projector lights the sculptural mass
to cast a perfect shadow—a double self-portrait—of
the artists enjoying a glass of wine and a cigarette.
Tim Noble and Sue Webster is organized by P.S.1 Chief Curator
Klaus Biesenbach.
Tim Noble and Sue Webster is made possible by Deitch Projects,
New York; Modern Art, London; and William and Maria Bell.
Additional support was also provided by P.S.1 Board of Directors.
For more information, please contact
Rachael Dorsey, P.S.1 Press Office, at press@ps1.org
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