Taryn Simon on her most ambitious exhibition yet: ‘It’s built almost like a novel’
The multidisciplinary artist delves into pockets of history, including within her family, for the largest ever debut of new work staged at the Guggenheim
TL;DR
- Taryn Simon's new exhibition, 'Father Country I Do Love You,' is the largest debut of new work at the Guggenheim and the first monographic exhibition by a photography-based artist in its iconic rotunda.
- The project is based on Simon's decade-long correspondence with a retired federal agent, investigating stories of espionage, conspiracy, and violence.
- Simon's artistic practice involves rigorous research and archival methodology, examining systems of information, organization, and power through various media.
- Past projects include cataloging airport contraband, recreating floral centerpieces from treaty signings, and documenting bloodlines of notable figures.
- The exhibition delves into personal themes, dedicated to Simon's father who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and features a video with recordings of his babbling overlaid with images from his travels.
- 'Father Country' is structured like a novel, with color-coded chapters and first-person narratives written by Simon in the voice of the federal agent.
- Simon experimented with interactive installations and allowed for a more fractured and experimental artistic voice in this exhibition, reflecting the messiness of life.
- The exhibition concludes with a chapter on memory loss, mirroring the agent's episode of transient global amnesia and Simon's father's Alzheimer's diagnosis.