Alÿs's use of urban walking is an assertion of the place against the 'non-place'. Urban strolling in a completely globalised city would have no point, but the artist's walks demonstrate that if the standardisation of cities has stared, it hasn't yet taken over London. These wonderings uncover the particularities of the city, its unique if ever-changing London-ness. — Coline Milliard, Art Monthly, June 2010.
Over five years Francis Alÿs walked the streets of London, mapping its habits and rituals in a range of different media, and the ensuing films, videos, paintings and drawings were presented as Seven Walks at 21 Portman Square in 2005 for the artist’s first major solo exhibition in the UK. Amongst these works was Sunny/Shady, a pair of maps and photographs documenting a walk in South East London on the sunny side of the street always, followed by another on the shady side of the street always.
Image: Francis Alÿs, Sunny/Shady, 2004 (detail) © Francis Alÿs
at Art Exchange
Colchester, 30 September - 30 November 2013
In the autumn of 2013, Sunny/Shady was installed at Art Exchange as part of an exhibition of Francis Alÿs' project Seven Walks. The works in Seven Walks were developed by Alÿs over 5 years, and delved into the everyday rituals and habits of the metropolis. This exhibition at Art Exchange was accompanied by a symposium, which expanded on the themes of Alÿs' explorations of the city, and featured speakers TJ Demos, James Lingwood, Andrés Montenegro, Marina Warner and Richard Wentworth. The discussion was chaired by Dawn Ades.
Image: Installation view of Francis Alÿs, Sunny/Shady, 2004 (detail) at Art Exchange, 2013. Photograph: Courtesy Art Exchange
at the Whitworth,The University of Manchester
Manchester, 2 July - 4 September 2011
Sunny/Shady featured in 'Projections', an exhibition of four moving image projects from The Artangel Collection, shown within the context of the Whitworth, its collection, and the park that it shares with the city of Manchester.
Image: Installation view of Francis Alÿs, Seven Walks including Sunny/Shady, 2004 at the Whitworth, The University of Manchester, 2011. Photograph: Michael Pollard