Thomas Hirschhorn presents 'World Airport' for 'Portrait of a Young Planet'
'Portrait of a Young Planet' is a new presentation of Mudam's permanent Collection that explores the relationship between the individual and the community through a diverse array of social and political themes. The exhibition takes inspiration from the iconic show 'The Family of Man', curated by Luxembourgish American artist Edward Steichen, which opened at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1955.
Artists featured in the presentation include: István Csákány, Rainer Ganahl, Jack Goldstein, Andreas Gursky, Thomas Hirschhorn, Hassan Khan, Cristina Lucas, Shirin Neshat, Thomas Struth and Wolfgang Tillmans.
Included in the exhibition is Thomas Hirschhorn’s 'Flugplatz Welt/World Airport', which was created in 1999 for the Venice Biennale and now forms part of the Mudam Collection. This vast installation comprises an extensive array of objects that collectively resemble an airport, fabricated out of inexpensive, everyday materials. The decision to use materials that are readily available, ephemeral and familiar, such as cardboard, aluminium foil and tape, as opposed to traditional fine art materials, helps create what Hirschhorn describes as the ‘precarious’ nature of this otherwise monumental work.
'Portrait of a Young Planet' was curated for Mudam by Francesco Bonami with the assistance of Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera and is part of a broader project that includes a specially commissioned virtual platform, 'Me, Family: Portrait of a Young Planet'. Designed by Armature Globale, this online resource explores the question of how to represent humanity in the digital age.
