Michael Landy

Michael Landy acknowledges that he will probably always be known as "that bloke who destroyed all his belongings". In his 2001 artwork Break Down he publicly and systematically shredded, dismantled and demolished everything that he owned. "I'm always trying to get rid of myself," he says, "so that I can move on. And then I end up always coming back to the same themes... I guess I'm a creature of habit."

In this film profile Michael Landy reflects on Break Down and on his other complex and ambitious projects, Scrapheap Services (1996) and Semi-detached (2004). Prompted by his father's injury from an industrial accident, /Semi-detached/ involved the construction inside Tate Britain of a full-scale replica of the exterior of his parents' suburban home. He also discusses his meticulous, delicate drawings as well as the ideas and directly personal concerns that underpin his unconventional art.

theEYE is an excellent introduction to contemporary artists and their works and provides an ideal resource for a wide range of audiences, including galleries, museums and colleges, as well as individual art-lover.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Illuminations
• Michael
• Landy
• Break
• Down
• theEYE
• Art
• Film
• Interview

[fragilefateful]

Your all fucking dickheads for talking negatively about him its an art work...he can do what ever he wants with the things he's bought that one of the messages of a capitalist society is that you can do what ever you want with your needless material possessions...Films destroy cars and things...why can't someone creating an artwork do that...Its a public statement and if you don't like shut your pie hole.

[miscpro]

haha Landy fill

[occupyartgallery]

Brilliant!!



[stephaniekoning]

Art is creative, Art is destructive, Art is about different views on life, on the world. Art is about different perspectives. The biggest thing we have to learn from art is that EVERYBODY has different ideas on life and the world, and we should respect all these ideas. Instead of being so offensive try to see what this work means to you!

for me it means a lot. I am quite inspired by his work. For me it is a spiritual act. to get rid of everything that keeps you in prison. to become free.

[bayerrr]

those who say that he could have donated all his stuff didnt understanded the logic of this wonderful work.

he recriated the capitalism tradicional way of industrial production in order to destroy his personal stuff, 7.006. By doing this he is subverted the logic of capitalism, this way of action has a symbolic strength and also a beauty poetry in it.

[lewis72]

Hugely dynamic? Hugely bollocks more like.

Art is creative, this is destructive. You can see destruction all over the place. Go down the recycling site; at least most of the stuff there has come to the end of its useful life.

[TheRimbaud1]

As much as I can appreciate his stance against consumerism and capitalism, destroying his items and then just adding to them to a landfill site is just a waste and rather a selfish act. instead, he should have given all his things away to people ,redistribute to those who would benefit and appreciate the items, instead of adding to landfill sites.

[yousurfer2]

I see he's now putting things into a giant bin.

Presumably he's had to buy more 'things' to replace the ones he destroyed. What a dick.

[greenpumpkin88]

yeah

[greenpumpkin88]

Well good for you RangerDan88!!!!!!! How's chuck norris?