Hall of Half-life explores what possibilities are available for art in the so-called anthropocene. The majority of the pieces on display at GrazMuseum were commissioned specifically for the exhibition curated by Tessa Giblin. “Earth is riddled with signals that terrestrial timekeepers use to tell the story of our planet while they carve up geological history”, the introduction begins, and Hall of Half-life gathers artists that are interested in both creating new signals and re-interpreting old ones. Lara Almarecgui’s Mineral Rights, Austria, in which she attempts to acquire the mineral rights to iron and in-so-doing to explore the relationship between large-scale mineral extraction and property ownership and the there is Simon Boudvin’s photographs of french caves and mines. “To build a space somewhere, you need to create another one, from where you extract the material. Each building has a hidden sister” he explains. Hall of half-life excavates and brings to life these “hidden sisters” that lie just beyond our scope of vision, on the other side of modern comfort.

with
Lara Almarcegui
Stéphane Béna Hanly
Simon Boudvin
Gerard Byrne
Regina de Miguel
Mikala Dwyer
Geoffrey Farmer
Harun Farocki
Peter Galison
& Robb Moss
Mikhail Karikis
Sam Keogh
Jean-Luc Moulène
Lonnie van Brummelen
& Siebren de Haan
Ulla von Brandenburg

Published by: Dent-De-Leone
Pages: 256
First Edition: 3000 copies
Size: w12.4xh18.6 cm
Language: English & German
Cover: Soft with dustcover