Thomas Kilpper: Pigisback

Pump House Gallery is delighted to be collaborating with German artist Thomas Kilpper to develop an ambitious site-specific project in and outside of the gallery. This will be the artist's first significant commission in London since 2001. Kilpper's projects often respond to the socio-political context of a location, playfully interweaving local histories, current global issues and his political views. For this project he has taken a keen interest in the rich and complex history of Battersea Park and its surrounding environment. In particular he has researched the period when the park was transformed into a pig farm and allotments during World War II, as well as the diverse and unusual use of Battersea Power Station. This includes referencing the photo shoot for the iconic cover for Pink Floyd's 'Animals' LP, which involved a giant inflatable pig. Through exploring these episodes Kilpper makes allusions to the present situation in Iraq.

The outcomes of this project are eclectic and include the transformation of the gallery's outside space into an allotment growing organic vegetables created and looked after by Wandsworth Youth Offending Team , a kitchen inside the gallery to cook the resulting harvest and a giant pig sculpture made using trees cut down in Battersea Park. Kilpper has also engaged in a number of exciting collaborations with other artists. He has worked with Lukas Einsele to create a series of photographic works, Alexander Wolff to co- produce a new sound track fusing Pink Floyd with popular 1940's war time songs and Endre Aalrust in making a film using footage from Monty Python's 'The Meaning of Life' and Alfred Hitchcock's 'Sabotage'.

Thomas Kilpper was born in Germany in 1956 and has received international critical acclaim for his dynamic and inventive practice. He has developed a number of important projects nationally and internationally, including The Ring, Orbit House, London 2000 in partnership with South London Gallery; Al Hissan, The Jenin Horse, Jenin, Palestine 2003; Ulrike Meinhof, Berlin 2004; Agenda 2010, Berlin 2005 and has been commissioned to make a new work for Momentum 2006: Nordic Festival of Contemporary Art.

Exhibition supported by the The Henry Moore Foundation, Arts Council England, Patrick Heide Art Projects, Goethe Institute Battersea Crime Prevention Panel, Wandsworth Youth Offending Team, Thrive and MFI Kitchens.

Pressetext

Thomas Kilpper
Pigisback