Get to know the famous felines of the Hermitage in London
The Basement, 2014, Erik van Lieshout. Exhibition view at the South London Gallery, 2017. Courtesy the artist and Maureen Paley, London. Photo: Andy Stagg
2 May 2017
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Elise Morton
London-based cat lovers with a penchant for Russian culture are in luck — you can now discover the secret world of the State Hermitage Museum cats at the South London Gallery.
Dutch artist Erik van Lieshout’s video work The Basement (2014) journeys underground to meet the cats living in the tunnels underneath St Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum.
The Basement forms part of his wider Three Social Works exhibition, which showcases three video works, each casting into question the role of art and artists in society through a combination of performance, reality and deadpan humour. Janus (2012) offers an investigative look into the life of a deceased art and bric-a-brac collector, while Ego (2013) takes Van Lieshout’s own family as its subject.
You can see Three Social Works at the South London Gallery in Camberwell, London, until 11 June. Erik van Lieshout will discuss his exhibition in conversation with art critic Adrian Searle on 1 June.
Find out more here.
