Pierre Huyghe Timekeeper (Drill Core), Serpentine, 2019
Paint layers, plasterboard
ø 70 x 3 cm
For this work, which only existed for the duration of the exhibition, Pierre Huyghe sanded down a 20 cm eye-level section of white wall in the exhibition space to uncover the layers of paint left by previous exhibitions. By using an electrical circular sander, the older coats of paint were revealed in colorful concentric rings, reminiscent of the growth rings of a tree. The work effectively became a portrait of the institution’s activities: on the shallower outside of the sanded down circular area more recently painted layers could be seen, while the paint revealed further down at the center had been covered the longest. Timekeeper (Drill Core), Serpentine was extracted after Huyghe's solo exhibition UUmwelt at the Serpentine Galleries, London.