tom sachs at venice architecture biennale 2010

new york-based sculptor and artist tom sachs is exhibiting at the palazzo delle esposizioni for this year’s venice architecture biennale, the first biennale to be curated by a female director, kazuyo sejima. known for working with–and reworking–iconic images, the exhibition focuses on le corbusier and explores the successes and failures of modernism.

‘mcbusier’ by tom sachs (2002)
courtey: vanhaerents art collection, brussels
image © designboom

in the middle of the space is ‘mc busier’ (2002), which consists of two foamcore models of a drive-thru mcdonalds and le corbusier’s ‘villa savoye’. a collection of miniature surveillance cameras monitor the two projects which are then displayed on a stack of tvs on one end of the installation. the piece is a part of a much bigger project entitled, ‘nutsy’s’, which reads as a real-life videogame involving a series of race tracks, remote-controlled cars, art parks, rivaling ghettos and much more. sachs puts side by side the idealistic modernism of the villa with the commercialized modernism of mcdonald’s to show the shattered memory of modernism’s hopes and failures.

the video displays what the mini surveillance cameras in ‘mc busier’ sees
images © designboom

the darker side of modernism is further illustrated through other pieces: there is a repeated striped motif that resembles red and white cautionary tape around the frames of some drawings; on the reproduced elevation of ‘unite d’habitation’, sachs has indicated ’13 deaths’ off the set of winding stairs; and an added element under le corbusier’s ‘modular man’ can only be interpreted as a steroid needle.

‘deluxe racing set’ by tom sachs (2003)
top view
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back view
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(left) ‘the radiant city’ (2010)
(right) ‘nutsy’s learning station’ (2010)
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detail
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a part of ‘the radiant city’
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‘la guerre aeriene’ by tom sachs, 2010
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detail
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‘the open hand’ by tom sachs (2010)
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‘modular man’ by tom sachs (2001)
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a drawing of le corbusier’s ‘unité d’habitation’
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detail
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a part of a full scale model of ‘unité d’habitation’
images © designboom