Gregor Schneider, 2007
28 September - 21 October 2007, now open for viewing at Bondi Beach. A free-standing work comprising of 21 identical cells measuring 4m x 4m, constructed of typical Australian fencing, with each containing amenities for visitors such as an air mattress, beach umbrella and garbage bag.
Gregor Schneider's art expresses the concerns and anxieties of today's world. Bondi Beach, his latest work, brings contemporary art to one of Australia's iconic landmarks.
The work brings into question the values that we associate with the sun, surf and sand image of the Australian beach, a place that has been traditionally associated with a relaxed, egalitarian society at leisure. With this new site-specific work, the audience is asked to consider the fundamental openness of Australian society and the freedoms and liberties we enjoy as citizens.
Gregor Schneider (b.1969) is an outstanding young German artist who won the coveted Golden Lion Award representing Germany at the 2001 Venice Biennale, and has exhibited his works all around the world. Known for his architectural creations, he lives and works in Rheydt, Germany. Schneider's works are renowned for presenting a disturbing vision of normality. In his hands, everyday domestic spaces present an unnerving experience for the viewer.
Recently Schneider has referenced spaces that are well beyond the domestic sphere: from a religious centre (the Caaba in Mecca) to a red-light district (Steindamm, Hamburg) to the maximum-security internment facility on Cuba (Camp V, Guantanamo Bay).
