An artwork for meetings, conferences and discussions: Goshka Macuga, The Nature of the Beast
Dear Visitors,

The Nature of the Beast revolves around the presentation of Picasso’s original painting, Guernica, at the Whitechapel Gallery in London in 1939 and the placement and role of the tapestry at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 1985 to 2009. In both instances, the image has been used as a backdrop for political debate.

I have designed the exhibition space with a real emphasis on accommodating and encouraging meetings for discussion group, with Guernica used once again as a backdrop. You are therefore invited to host meetings and discussions around the central table.

The space is offered free of charge. Contact OGR – Officine Grandi Riparazioni via e-mail at prenotazioni@ogrtorino.it for advance booking, mentioning “Macuga” in the subeject line. We only ask that you send photographs, recording or minutes of your meetings to the same address for inclusion in the work’s archive.

Many thanks,
Goshka Macuga


Among the artworks on show at Binario 2 inside OGR Turin for the exhibition Heart of Darkness, curated by Marcella Beccaria and organized in collaboration with Castello di Rivoli, there is The Nature of the Beast (2009) by Goshka Macuga.

Through her practice, the Polish artist searches for hidden relations that link events, characters and cultural artifacts, shedding light on the plots running between art and history, politics and memory. Rather than providing answers, her works raise questions, to rethink the mechanisms behind the production of culture, to return the responsibility for collective history to the individual.

In this respect, the artist herself invites visitors to use the artwork as a meeting room, to gather at the round table of the installation for meetings and debates.