Jac Leirner Tapes Forever, 1998/2023

Tapes Forever comprises three sculptures made from colorful adhesive tape rolls stacked atop one another. While some rolls appear brand-new, others are partially used, having been employed by Leirner during the installation of the first iteration of her work Hip Hop at the Bohen Foundation in 1998.

Some tapes are leftovers from Leirner’s initial institutional exhibition in New York, while others were used for the newest iteration of Hip Hop 1998/2025 at Esther Schipper Berlin. As they traveled across continents with the artist, the adhesive tape rolls became biographical markers. These mass-produced, anonymous objects—when handled by the artist—become individualized: not only linked to Leirner’s exhibition history but also carrying biographies of their own.