How to Spot a Lawrence Weiner in the Wild

Next time you’re on the streets of São Paulo or the shores of Iceland (or any shore, for that matter), you might just spot a public work by Lawrence Weiner. In our recent studio visit with the artist, we learned he had just returned from finishing two public projects. Click through the slideshow below to view images.

The first involved the launching of 50 identical fishing bins embedded with Weiner’s title for the project, ALONG THE SHORE, in both English and Icelandic. Ten additional bins launched through the gallery i8 in Reykjavík, a gallery Weiner has worked with for many years. Weiner stated, “We did something with 50 or 60 fish bins, which go all over the world. And they really do go all over the world. It’s baked in the same way that the names of everything [in my work] is baked in, so it’s — as long as the fish bin exists — it’s on there. It’s not a decal. It’s not something that comes off.�

And, through the galleries Mendes Wood DM and Galeria Luisa Strina during the São Paulo Biennial this past fall, Weiner set forth the public project and exhibition “SOMEWHERE,� which included numerous works set on buildings and manhole covers with phrases such as, “HERE FOR A TIME THERE FOR A TIME & SOMEWHERE FOR A TIME� and “IPSO FACTO,� in both English and Portuguese. Click below to hear Weiner talk about the public’s interaction with his work.