Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall commission is always a daunting prospect for an artist. Since Louise Bourgeois first occupied the space in 2000, soon after the museum opened, with her towers and a gigantic spider, there have been 22 commissions, some more memorable than others.
We’ve had artificial sunsets and a funfair of slides. We’ve seen piles of ceramic sunflower seeds, a crack in the floor, lots of hanging cloths and knotted ropes, a sound installation, live storytellers, a spatial conundrum, fish floating in the air and a giant femidom-thing. Whatever next? We’ve become familiar with the unfamiliar and expectation now vies with a certain ennui. As well as an invitation, the commission (sponsored by Hyundai since 2015) is also a challenge, as each narrows the formal options for whoever, and whatever, comes next.
