Simon Starling and Thomas Hirschhorn

Overview

The Institute of Modern Art has played host of numerous exhibitions over the years, ones that push the boundaries of art and startle and amaze with their commentary. From the 5 October to 30 November, IMA will once again be pushing the envelope of displaying art that is raw and affecting, but also unique and enthralling.

Simon Starling's project, In Speculum, is a collection of heavily researched works that touch on key historical moments but viewed through a different lens. The exhibition examines particular objects and the histories surrounding them, to "explore the legacies of modernism and globalisation". Simon touches on nuclear evolution, astronomy and engineering, in a series of reflective pieces about our world, yet skewed by the artists on worldview.

Touching Reality by Thomas Hirschhorn is probably one of the most viscerally affecting pieces ever showcased at IMA. This video piece looks at the impact of war and what isn't covered by the media when it comes to the effects of violence. Scenes of war and carnage are examined on a touch screen, zoomed in and magnified then scrolled past to another visual of the recently deceased. This piece is not the faint hearted or soft of stomach, yet it is one of the most compelling commentaries on violence across the globe and reveals the true horrors of war in a modern age.