March30,2017
PierreHuyghe:SculptorOfTheIntangiblehttp://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/pierre-huyghe-nasher-prizeByTaylorDafoe
Photo: Ola Rindal ThereisvirtuallynoartworldconventionthatPierreHuyghehasnotsoughttoredefine.Fromcustomsofexhibitiondisplay,materiality,andmedium,totheverywaysinwhichwedefinecontemporaryart,Huyghehasbrokentheruleswithhissignaturemacabreflair.Giventhe
scopeofhisvision,itmightnotbesurprisingthatheisalsooneofthemostdecoratedartistsofhisgeneration,havingbeenhonoredwithseveraloftheindustry'smostprestigiousinternationalawards,includingtheKurtSchwittersPrize,theContemporaryArtistAward,andtheHugoBossPrize.Thoughitisalittleironic,too—thatanartistwhosewholepracticeisdevotedtochallengingthestiffinstitutionalstructuresoftheartworldbesosuccessfulonaprizecircuitoftencriticizedforrecapitulatingthestatusquo.
Onthesurface,thenewestpieceofhardwareHuygheisaddingtohisshelf,the2017NasherPrize,whichhewillofficiallyreceivethisSaturday,isperhapsanotherexampleofthis.SponsoredbytheNasherSculptureCenterinDallas,Texas,theNasherPrizecomeswith$100,000incash,andanawarddesignedbyRenzoPiano(whoalsodesignedthemuseum).It'sgivenannuallytoalivingartistwho"elevatestheunderstandingofsculptureanditspossibilities."AndwhileHuyghe'sworkcertainlyfitsthebillinthatitchallengesustoreconsidertheverylookandfunctionofcontemporaryartinthisageoflate-capitalism,itsstatusassculptureisdubiousatbest.WeaskedHuygheaboutthiswhenwevisitedhisNewYorkstudioonagloomyafternooninJanuary.Hewasjetlagged—aregularstateofmindfortheartist,whoperpetuallyhasongoingprojectsaroundtheworld—andnursinghiselectroniccigaretteliketheconsummateFrenchmanhestillis."I'mverygratefultobehonoredinthisway,butIhavepersonallyneveraskedmyselfaboutwhatcategorymyworkfitsinto,"saysHuyghe."Ineverfeltbeholdentosculpture,orfilm,oranymedium,evenwhenIworkwithindifferentdisciplines.Tobehonest,ithasneverbeenonmyradar."Huyghe'sstudiodoesn'tlookliketheclassicartist'sworkspace.Everythingisneatandorderly;traditionalartsuppliesarefewandfarbetween.Butthat'snotashock:likeanyconceptualist,hiscreationsarelargelyintangible.Thephysicalobjectsemployedarenotautonomousworksuntothemselves,butsurrogatesforabstractideasbehindthem.ForHuygheinparticular,theyfunctionasstructuralvesselsforlargerecosystems—wholeworldsinwhichindividualpartsaren'tasimportantasthedynamicnetworktheyaddupto.TakeforexampleUntilled(2011–
Exhibitionview,PierreHuyghe,LosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt,LosAngeles,November2014–February2015.Photo:OlaRindal.
Exhibitionview,PierreHuyghe,LosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt,LosAngeles,November2014–February2015.
12),arecliningnudefigurecarvedfromstonefeaturingalivingbeecolonyintheplaceofitshead;orZoodram4(afterSleepingMusebyConstantinBrancusi)(2011)amarineecosystem,withahermitcrablivinginashellmodeledoffofBrancusi'ssculpture,SleepingMuse."AninteractioninwhichIpushabuttonandsomethingrespondsisnotoneI'minterestedin,"saysHuyghe."I'mnotsomuchconsideringtheindividual—onespeciesoroneobjectwithafixedradiation.Tome,ithastobeameshofinterdependentthings,bioticandabiotic."
Exhibitionview,PierreHuyghe,LosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt,LosAngeles,November2014–February2015.
"IthinkthatthechoiceofPierreHuygheisastatementofhowtherangeofpracticeshavebecomeencompassedbysculpture,andcanbeconsideredassculpture,"saysJeremyStrick,theDirectoroftheNasherSculptureCenter.ForStrick,it'snotthatHuyghe'sworkdefiesclassificationassculpture;it'sthatourideaofsculptureistooreductive.Changeyourparametersandit'seasytoseeHuygheisasculptor."Whenwethinkofsculpture,wetypicallythinkofitintermsofspace,volume,mass—threedimensions,"saysStrick."Butsculpturehasalwaysinvolvedafourthdimension:time.Pierre'soutpu,acrosstheboard,engageswithtime.So,whilehispiecesinvolvealldifferentkindsofmaterials—manyofwhichnormallywouldn'tbethoughtofintermsofsculpture—thereisalsoafundamental,underlyingideathatisessentialtothemedium."TheheartofHuyghe'sworkiselusiveinthetruestsenseoftheword.Morethanjusttime,it'schange:betweenobjects,livinganddead;betweenorganismsandtheirenvironment;inlanguageandperception.Truetoform,thetenetsofHuyghe'spracticealsocontinuetoevolve.
"Recently,I'vewidenedmyparameters,"hesays."Thatplant,thatanimal,thathuman,thatcomputer,thatrobot,thatmachine—thosecanallchange,ofcourse.ButnowIcanalsoseethepotentialforchangein,say,astone,forexample.ImightnotbeabletoseeitchangeifI'mmeasuringitoverthecourseofthehumangaze,butwhatifIthinkaboutthestateofthestoneunderadifferentsetofconditions,overalongerperiodoftime?MaybeIcan'tseeitchangebecauseI'mahuman.WhatifIwereabat?"
Exhibitionview,PierreHuyghe,CentreGeorgesPompidou,September2013–January2014.Photo:OlaRindal.
Theartist'snewestventuresembodythiscommitmenttoecocentrism,eschewinganthropocentricideologiesinfavorofconsideringtheexistenceofobjectsoutsideofhumanperception.HuyghehasbeenmakingfrequenttripstothesouthofJapan,wherehe'sinstallingacoupleofnewprojects.Thefirst,acollaborativepiecewitharchitectFrancoisRocheinthecityofOkayama,isahousethatbuildsitself.Fortheproject,whichissettobecompletedintwoyears,afive-axisrobotcollectsseismicinformationfromthegroundbelow,andalgorithmicallytranslatesitintosetsofdatumthatitusestopourconcretewithmyceliumfungi.LikethemajorityofHuyghe'sworks,itbecomesakindoflivingorganism.Andnotonlydoesitnotrequirehumanassistancetooperate,itactivelyfostershumanlife—peoplewillstayinthehousewhileit'sbeingbuilt.Thesecondisanewgardenwork,inanas-of-yetundisclosedlocation,similartotheoneHuyghecreatedforDocumenta13.TheDocumentapiece,likethemajorityoftheHuyghe'sinstallationssince,broughttogether—inhiswords—a"networkofinterdependent
heterogenouselementstocreatealargerinstallation."Ofthosewereseveraloftheartist'sownworks,includingUntilled,Zoodram4,andalivedognamedHuman,whohasonelegdyedbrightpink,andrunsaroundthegarden.FortheJapaniterationoftheproject,he'stakingitonestepfurther,creatingasmartphoneapplicationthatwilltransmitorganicinformationintovisualdata,allowingviewerstowitnessthebiodynamicinteractionsbetweendifferentelements."Everyonehasthesedevicesnow,"saysHuyghe."They'relikeanewspeciesonourownbody,likeaco-host.Withthisproject,you'llbeabletousethesedevicestoenvisiondifferentnewelementswithinthatnetwork.It'snotthephoneI'minterestedin.It'sjustadevicethateveryonehas.It'sjustliketheeyes,anothertoolofaccesstothingsthatwealldealwith."Huygheisalsocreatingaspecialnewprojectforthisyear'sSkulpturProjekteMünster,openingonJune9.Fornow,thedetailsareunderwraps.Butnotbecausehe'sasecretiveperson:"Ican'tsaysomuchbecauseI'mstillcompletelyintheprocess,"saysHuyghe."It'sstilluncleartome."Thisisnotuncommonfortheartist—socommittedishetochangeandadaptationthatheoftenfindshimselfstilldiscoveringthenatureoftheworkwellintoitsinstallation.It'sparforthecourse,then,whenwelearnthefollowing:Huyghehasnospecificplansforthe$100,000thatcomeswiththeNasherPrize.PIERREHUYGHEISTHERECIPIENTOFTHE2017NASHERPRIZE.
