Tadashi Kawamata

This powerful and undulating wave of wood, erected in the forum, strikes the visitors with its spectacular dimension. Created with used furniture, this installation by Tadashi Kawamata is a recollection of the catastrophes and tsunami that severely hit Japan in March 2011. Silent monument thought to fit the forum scale, this installation alludes to rogue waves, those gigantic and exceptional water walls that spontaneously appear on the surface of the oceans. Masterpiece, Under the Water is a unique foray of Kawamata in the drama genre. It is however part of a research on catastrophe, conducted by the artist for nearly fifteen years, who constitutes an archive of overflow, collapse and “shapes out of control”. Paradoxically, this enveloping and protective wave also reminds of a refuge, a shelter that echoes the iconic structure of the Centre Pompidou-Metz.

This installation is the result of a long process of collaboration and collection with different organisations that have taken an active part in this adventure. We warmly thank our partners:

Communauté Emmaüs de Peltre, Haganis, Veolia, Ecole supérieure d’art de Lorraine. With the support of Catherine et Jean Madar and Waves Actisud.

It was designed with the support of the Galerie Kamel Mennour

Curators : Hélène Guenin, responsable du pôle Programmation au Centre Pompidou-Metz Assistée par Eléonore Mialonier, chef de projet au Pôle Production, Centre Pompidou-Metz