Apocalypse now

On the top floor of the South London Gallery, all hell has broken loose. Toilets, radiators, tables and chairs have been hurled in all directions amid a chaotic scene of dangling debris and rubble. While the carnage appears natural, In-Between examines the oxymoron of creating destruction, an idea based on the work of Italian Marxist theorist and politician Antonio Gramsci.

As with Disaster Playground, another aesthetic exploration of annihilation, Hirschhorn’s work gives form to destruction, transporting visitors to a near-future wasteland in the middle of one of the world’s thriving metropolises.

The Big Picture: The polarity of Western boom and bust cycles is manifesting in dystopian and utopian art worldwide. Find out more in our Chasm Culture microtrend.