Redoubt

A new exhibition by Matthew Barney has been unveiled at the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery. ’Redoubt’ is the US artist and filmmaker’s first solo presentation in the UK in over a decade, and combines imposing and intricate sculptures with a feature-length film of the same name.

Among the most striking works on display are four large-scale sculptures built from the trunks of burned trees, which were harvested from an area of Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains devastated by forest fires. The same location also provides the setting for the ‘Redoubt’ film, which weaves classical, cosmological and American myths about humanity’s place in the natural world into a narrative concerning a sharp-shooter and two dancers pursuing wolves across the wilderness.

Once described by The Guardian as among “the most imaginative and brilliant achievements in the history of avant-garde cinema,” Barney’s films have been displayed everywhere from the Manchester International Festival to the Guggenheim in New York and at Venice Biennale. One memorable project showcased at the latter was 2005’s ‘Drawing Restraint 9’, which featured a soundtrack composed by former partner Björk and a guest vocal performance by American singer-songwriter Will Oldham.

‘Redoubt’ is at the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery until July 25th, 2021.