TINO SEHGAL

As of February 13, 5:30 p.m., the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal and Galerie de l’UQAM will jointly present This Situation, an emblematic work by Tino Sehgal shown for the first time in 2007 and acquired by the MAC in 2011. Resembling a contemporary salon, This Situation allows for open discussions on a range of philosophical concepts and engages visitors in a critical reflection on today’s world.

Born in Great Britain in 1976 and based in Berlin, Tino Sehgal studied dance and political economy. For more than twenty years, he has been presenting what he calls “constructed situations” consisting of choreographic sequences and oral instructions executed by players, or “interpreters,” in various exhibition venues. Explicitly distinct from performance art, theatre, and dance, these works take place continuously during the host museum’s or gallery’s public viewing hours. Immaterial in its essence, This Situation challenges traditional relations between the public and the perceived idea of what a contemporary art exhibition ought to be. The conceptual nature of Sehgal’s practice arises out of a reflection on what constitutes an artwork and a crystallization of the artistic experience, which, in his work, leads to direct engagement between the public and the players in carefully designed situations.