Aleksandra Mir - Triumph at the 2012 London Olympics

Aleksandra Mir exhibits her work 'Triumph' at the exhibition 
'Pursuit of Perfection: The Politics of Sport', South London Gallery, 
 to coincide with the 2012 London Olympics.

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ALEKSANDRA MIR
Triumph
Inspired by a friend who had been a famous athlete in his youth and kept mementos of his achievements as he was visibly ageing, Mir placed an ad in the local newspaper in Palermo, Italy (where she lived 2005 - 2010) asking the general public for their old sports trophies. Within a few months, Mir collected 2,529 trophies from every genre of sport, dating from the 1940's and onwards and had them cleaned and archived. In the exhibition, the trophies are displayed individually and in groups on plinths and the floor, or piled on top of each other like detritus. Mir explores the power of the trophy, both a coveted symbol of accomplishment and a garish, mass-produced item of little value. Triumph is also a powerful visual statement of our tendency towards nostalgia, and the temptation to wallow in memories of past youth, vitality and joy.

The project was originally commissioned and exhibited at the Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt in 2009.
Read and Interview with the artist and Download the Catalogue:
http://www.aleksandramir.info/projects/triumph/triumph.html















 










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Pursuit of Perfection: The Politics of Sport
with Michel Auder / Roderick Buchanan / John Gerrard / Lucy Gunning /
Janice Kerbel / Aleksandra Mir/ Jonathan Monk / Ariel Orozco / Paul Pfeiffer
EXHIBITION: 27 JUL – 14 SEP 2012
PRESS VIEW & PREVIEW: THURSDAY 26 JUL 2012, 6.30-8.30PM
CONVERSATION: 12 SEP, 7pm, Free
Aleksandra Mir discusses her work and current installation with Alice Rawsthorn, design critic of the International Herald Tribune.

Press contact
Katie Haines - Marketing and Communications Manager          
020 7703 6120 katie@southlondongallery.org

Visitor information
Admission free                                                      
www.southlondongallery.org
Twitter: @SLG_artupdates
Gallery open Tuesday – Sunday 11-6pm, except Wednesdays and the last Friday of the month until 9pm. Closed Mondays.
General enquiries: 020 7703 6120
mail@southlondongallery.org
Tube: Victoria or Oval then bus 36/436 towards Lewisham/New Cross, or London Bridge then bus 343 to Southampton Way, or Elephant & Castle then bus 171/12
Rail: Peckham Rye, 10 mins walk to the SLG.
Limited free parking in adjacent side streets.

http://www.southlondongallery.org/page/144/Pursuit-of-Perfection-The-Politics-of-Sport/725

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