Walead Beshty - A Partial Disassembling Of An Invention Without A Future

This exhibition is part of the Barbican Constructing Worlds season.

The Barbican has commissioned the London born, Los Angeles-based artist Walead Beshty to create a new work for the Curve. Over 12,000 cyanotype prints made by Beshty over the course of a year are installed from floor to ceiling along the 90-metre long wall of the Curve, making use of the gallery as a panorama. The process began in Beshty’s studio in LA in October 2013 and culminates in London, with the last group of cyanotypes made with materials sourced from the Barbican and its surrounding area during his month-long residency in the city.

The installation is presented in chronological order, allowing the work to be read as a visual timeline, shifting in appearance along with the artist’s physical and temporal location. A central platform specially designed by London-based David Kohn Architects and constructed using recycled materials from a previous Barbican exhibition enables the visitor to view the installation from alternative perspectives.