The Child as Art Object in Tino Sehgal’s Ann Lee, Ann Lee & Marcel and This Progress

Abstract

This reflection explores the politics of working with children as art objects through three works by British-German artist Tino Sehgal, Ann Lee (2011), Ann Lee & Marcel (2015) and This Progress (2006). I focus on my experience of encountering the work as a visitor and I use this approach to think through and analyse the propositions made by the artist through his practice. In particular, I am interested in the aesthetic, political and ethical issues that may arise for spectators who encounter children in the work as art objects. Thinking through the way children problematize notions of performance in and via (their) performances in these pieces raises important questions. How might one rethink the status of children in society and how can artistic practices that employ children embody a critique of social, cultural and political norms at the beginning of the twenty-first century?