48 Hours

Kendell Geers' installation 48 Hours was made in London in 1999. The artist covered the Stephen Friedman Gallery’s windows with articles about bloody crimes from South African newspapers. The accumulation of photographs and descriptions of killings exposes the violence in post-apartheid society South Africa since the late 1990s.

With no commentary other than itself, the collage was visible from the street by passers-by. In 1995, the South African artist said, “We are living in a violent, amoral, nihilistic age and our art will unavoidably represent and embody these values”, alerting the viewer to the omnipresence of violence.

Geers' installation 48 Hours, which is in the Pinault Collection, was exhibited for the first time at the Tri Postal in Lille during the “Passage du temps” (“Passage of Time”) show in 2008.