Courtesy de l’artiste ; Art Concept (Paris) ; The Moderne Institute/Toby Webster Ltd. (Glasgow)
Collection privée Frédéric Jousset. Photo: Hangar Y, 2024
Art : Concept is pleased to announce the inauguration of the artwork by Jeremy Deller, Ask the Animals, and They Will Teach You, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, from 5 to 9 pm on the occasion of the opening of the “Rayon Jouets” exhibition at Hangar Y, Meudon/FR.
Both a sculpture and a children’s slide, Ask the Animals and They Will Teach You offers an alternative to the tradition of public monuments celebrating historical events or people elevated to the status of “heroes”. Here, Jeremy Deller pays tribute to one of the world’s oldest creatures, the chameleon, which, according to the inscription at the base of the sculpture, has lived on Earth for sixty million years. Now threatened with extinction, the chameleon is used here to challenge the idea that art in public spaces has no other vocation than to fulfil a decorative or commemorative function. By inviting children to slide along the reptile’s tongue, the monument becomes playful, inviting them to appropriate the space through play.