Dara Birnbaum

9 Dec 2011-12 Feb 2012

Overview

American artist Dara Birnbaum was one of the first to subvert the language of television and is internationally recognised for her pioneering video works made over the past three and a half decades. For her South London Gallery exhibition she presents the UK premiere of her recent work, Arabesque, 2011, a multi-channel video installation which reflects the legacy of two piano compositions; one composed by Robert Schumann for his wife Clara, the other composed by Clara Schumann for her husband Robert. Spanning the SLG’s main exhibition space and first floor galleries, the show also includes the seminal work, Attack Piece, 1975, Birnbaum’s first surviving installation, and a series of her single channel works from the 1970s. A survey of Birnbaum’s analysis of television through the 1980s, including Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman, 1978-79, will also be presented as a one-off screening on 11 January 2012.