tom sachs at the 12th international architecture biennale in venice, italy
image © designboom


new york-based sculptor and artist tom sachs is exhibiting at the palazzo delle esposizioni
for this year's venice architecture biennale, the first biennale to be curated by a female director,
kazuyo sejima. known for working with--and reworking--iconic images, the exhibition focuses
on le corbusier and explores the successes and failures of modernism.



'mcbusier' by tom sachs (2002)
courtey: vanhaerents art collection, brussels
image © designboom


in the middle of the space is 'mc busier' (2002), which consists of two foamcore models of a drive-thru
mcdonalds and le corbusier's 'villa savoye'. a collection of miniature surveillance cameras monitor
the two projects which are then displayed on a stack of tvs on one end of the installation. the piece is
a part of a much bigger project entitled, 'nutsy's', which reads as a real-life videogame involving a series
of race tracks, remote-controlled cars, art parks, rivaling ghettos and much more. sachs puts side by side
the idealistic modernism of the villa with the commercialized modernism of mcdonald's to show the shattered
memory of modernism's hopes and failures.



the video displays what the mini surveillance cameras in 'mc busier' sees
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the darker side of modernism is further illustrated through other pieces: there is a repeated striped motif
that resembles red and white cautionary tape around the frames of some drawings; on the reproduced elevation
of 'unite d'habitation', sachs has indicated '13 deaths' off the set of winding stairs; and an added element under
le corbusier's 'modular man' can only be interpreted as a steroid needle.



'deluxe racing set' by tom sachs (2003)
top view
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back view
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(left) 'the radiant city' (2010)
(right) 'nutsy's learning station' (2010)
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detail
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a part of 'the radiant city'
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'la guerre aeriene' by tom sachs, 2010
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detail
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'the open hand' by tom sachs (2010)
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'modular man' by tom sachs (2001)
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a drawing of le corbusier's 'unité d'habitation'
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detail
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a part of a full scale model of 'unité d'habitation'
images © designboom