In Course of Arrangement 2005-2015 features Anna Blessmann and Peter Saville's collection of intriguing artworks inspired by placeholders found in galleries and cultural institutions.
An exhibition which explores ideas behind the collection and display of objects in cultural institutions opens this week at the Paul Stolper Gallery in London. In Course of Arrangement 2005-2015 features the results of Anna Blessmann and Peter Saville's ten-year obsession with the innocuous placeholders which appear in museums and galleries when an object has been temporarily removed from display.
The objects in question might be removed for cleaning, for research purposes, they might be elsewhere in the museum, or they might be on loan to another institution. Objects which might previously have been overlooked suddenly take on a new significance by their absence. These discreet signs serve a joint purpose, informing us of the object's absence but at the same time offering us reassurance that this is only a temporary state of affairs. We are assured that the collection remains intact, and as a result, all will be well with the world.
The exhibition at Paul Stolper Gallery in London features Blessman and Saville's series of limited edition pieces inspired by these signs, many of which were featured in the Art Accessories display at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2013. Elevating the rather unremarkable-looking signs to highly collectible objects while turning the buyer into a collector themselves, the diminutive pieces provide a playful commentary on the politics of ownership, collection and display. In Course of Arrangement 2005-2015
09 October to 21 November 2015
Paul Stolper Gallery
31 Museum Street
London WC1A 1LH
paulstolper.com