Exhibition: Tate Modern celebrates its 20th anniversary in May

On May 11, 2020, Tate Modern will celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The day will feature a dedicated programme of displays and performances across the museum – including the return of Louise Bourgeois’ giant spider – as well as the opening of a special exhibition dedicated to the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

Frances Morris, director of Tate Modern, said: “Our plans for May 2020 encapsulate the best of Tate Modern.

“We will shine a spotlight on some of the newest artists to join our collection, go behind-the-scenes in our conservation studio, and run talks and tours across the building.

“We also want to highlight some of the artists Tate Modern has championed over the past 20 years – Kusama and Bourgeois, for example, not only represent our commitment to great artists with truly international careers, but they also embody art’s journey from the avant-gardes of the early 20th century to the immersive installations being created today.”

Tate Modern has welcomed nearly 100 million visitors since it was first officially opened by The Queen on May 11, 2000, and it is now the world’s most visited museum of modern and contemporary art.

To celebrate the anniversary, a year-long exhibition will showcase the work of one of the most celebrated international contemporary artists.

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Rooms will be a rare chance to experience the artist’s immersive mirror room installations juxtaposed with photos and footage of early performance works and studio happenings.

It will feature Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled with the Brilliance of Life, one of Kusama’s largest installations to date, originally made for her 2012 exhibition.

This will be shown alongside Chandelier of Grief, a room which creates the illusion of a boundless universe of rotating crystal chandeliers.

To mark the 20th anniversary, visitors will find a new series of 20 pairings picked out across the museum to showcase the diverse range of ideas and stories in Tate’s collection.

These will include Louise Bourgeois’ giant spider Maman, the very first work visitors encountered when Tate Modern opened in 2000, which will return to the Turbine Hall in May.

Our Labyrinth, is a performance that will take place and centres on a dancer silently sweeping grains along a twisting path, echoing the themes of domesticity, fragility and memory in Bourgeois’ work.

Three other performance works from Tate’s collection will also be shown throughout the day.

Nedko Solakov’s A Life (Black & White) will see two workers painting the walls black and white in turn in an endless cycle, Allora & Calzadilla’s Balance of Power involves three yoga practitioners wearing military uniforms executing a sequence of yoga warrior poses, and Tunga’s Xifópagas Capilares entre Nós features a pair of twins connected by their interwoven hair.

Other highlights will include an archive display telling the story of Tate Modern through films, images, objects and models, alongside newly-recorded oral histories from those who played a role in the museum’s development.