WC³
White Cubicle Toilet Gallery
The George and Dragon Public House
2 Hackney Road, London E2

Press Release
FEDERICO HERRERO
Tropical Institutional Critique
curated by Jens Hoffmann
Opening Saturday September 17, 2005. 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM

As part of the George and Dragon Public House exhibition at the ICA we are proud to present within George and Dragon’s White Cubicle Toilet Gallery a new work by artist Federico Herrero: Tropical Institutional Critique, a project curated by Jens Hoffmann.

The story goes like this: Jens wanted to do at ICA a panoramic exhibition about London lasting 6 weeks with one curator for each week. One of the invited curators was Gregor Muir, who in turn invited the George and Dragon to do one of the weeks. As a sign of gratitude George and Dragon invited Jens Hoffman to curate a project within the George and Dragon’s own exhibition space: The White Cubicle Toilet Gallery. Jens then decided to invite Federico Herrero who happened to be in town, and who had already in 2000 done a project inside the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design of Costa Rica called Sanitary Services, where he had chosen to work not in the museum’s exhibition space, but in its foul toilets, which he renewed with paint.

It also happens that Jens remembered that in San Jose, Costa Rica there is an old style bar called Bar Morazan, which must be San Jose’s equivalent to the George and Dragon and which until recently had booths with curtains you could close, and where couples sometimes used to have sex. Bar Morazan also has some murals on its walls, depicting significant moments in the history of Costa Rica, according to Jens moments like the building of the railway and things like that, according to Federico idyllic scenes like palm trees and the beach of Limon. Anyway Federico decided to paint some abstract pictorial wall paintings on the toilet, connecting Bar Morazan and George and Dragon, as well as Federico’s and Jens’ memories of the place.

Federico Herrero was born in San Jose, Costa Rica in 1978, where he lives and works. In 2001 at the 49th Venice Biennale he was awarded the Golden Lion for the best artist under 35. Herrero has also participated at the Aichi World Expo 2005, Nagoya, Japan; the 1st Seville Biennial, Seville, Spain, 2004, (curated by Harold Szeemann); Puerto Rico 04 Art Biennial, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2004; the 8th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba, 2003; and Urgent Painting, Musee d’ Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 2002 (curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist). Recent solo shows include New Paintings, Blow de la Barra, London, 2005; Federico Herrero, Sies + Hoke Galerie, Düsseldorf, 2005; Japanopera, Gallery Koyanagi, Tokyo, 2004; and Mental Landscapes, Galeria Juana de Aizpuru, Madrid, 2003.

Jens Hoffmann is Director of Exhibitions at ICA London. He was born in Costa Rica in 1972.

Keywords: Pisstine Chapel, Gatecrashing curating, Great Piss

The White Cubicle Toilet Gallery measures 1.40 by 1.40 metres, is located within the Ladies Toilet of the George and Dragon, and works with no budget, staff or boundaries. White Cubicle has become one of the East End’s most exciting and ambitious exhibition spaces, presenting a discerning programme of international manifestations as an antidote to London art world’s post-romantic art scene.