Tate Modern is embarking on a groundbreaking venture known as the Infinities Commission, an annual program designed to champion innovative artists from across the globe. Catherine Wood, director of programs at Tate Modern, said in a statement, "The Infinities Commission will give that kind of innovative work a home at Tate Modern and allow a broader public to experience it."
This initiative seeks to honour artists who, in Wood's words, are "working in highly inventive ways, freely crossing a variety of disciplines to create speculative, disruptive, or immersive projects that sit outside conventional artistic categories." The goal is to provide a platform for these experimental creators to showcase their work.
Similar to Tate Modern's renowned Turbine Hall commissions, which introduce significant artworks to the public eye, the Infinities Commissions are anticipated to attract substantial attention in the art world.
The selection process for this prestigious award will be overseen by a panel of experts. The chosen artist will embark on crafting a monumental masterpiece, set to debut in the Tanks, the museum's dedicated spaces for performance, film, and installations, in the following spring. Moreover, the panel will grant £10,000 (approximately $12,215) to three additional artists to support the research and development of their projects, with all recipients expected to engage in discussions about their artistic practice during a public event.
The esteemed inaugural selection panel comprises renowned figures in the art world, including musician and artist Brian Eno, critic and curator Oulimata Gueye, artist Anne Imhof, artistic director of Munich's Haus der Kunst Andrea Lissoni, and executive director and chief curator of New York's the Kitchen, Legacy Russell. Catherine Wood will preside over the panel's deliberations, while Rosalie Doubal, a senior curator of international art at Tate Modern with a focus on performance, will curate the commission.
The first artist to be commissioned through this initiative will be selected by the panel in the summer of 2024, and their work will be unveiled to the public free of charge in the spring of 2025, coinciding with the annual event.
Main Image: The Tate Modern, Photo, courtesy of Wikipedia