The End

This abject yet rather philosophic mouse has burrowed through the Gallery’s walls to address some concerns of our time. Underneath its sweet and playful tone, this artwork questions human priorities and what we might be doing with our time, with all our abilities in language and intellect. Ryan Gander’s work often probes language and knowledge with an inventiveness which sees larger philosophic enquiries emerging from everyday forms. In 'The End', 2020, a small rodent reflects on how time has become a type of currency, and how – in an age of identity politics, selfie culture and an incessant need to shout the loudest – our focus should be on the value of time itself. Admitting its weakness and lack, Gander’s creature makes a plea for focusing not on our differences, but on our similarities and the neurological benefits of daydreaming for the human imagination.

In his recent work, Gander reflects on two variations in how we might understand time taken from the ancient Greek: ‘kronos’ – linear, sequential, measurable time; and ‘kairos’ – circular time dancing back and forth with no clear beginning or end. While ‘kronos’ may prevail today, in a growth-led world driven by clocks and calendars in which the future often seems apocalyptic, there is still optimism in the kinds of imaginative revisions offered in fiction.

– Natasha Conland, Senior Curator, Global Contemporary Art, 2023

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