Free talk at 3pm
Every Saturday the Serpentine Gallery hosts talks and seminars free to the public.
Artist's Talk, Marcus Coates, 23 April 2011 by Serpentine Gallery
English artist Marcus Coates (b.1968) creates rituals and mythologies that examine the role of the imagination and its possibilities for unconscious reasoning, often questioning the relationship between critical rationalism and belief. He seeks to test the pragmatic and uniquely useful potential of the artist within contemporary society.
In his newly commissioned work for the Serpentine Gallery, The Trip, Coates reflects on the intimate conversations he had with patients at St. John’s Hospice in London. Exploring the possibilities for dialogue between artists and those facing the end of life, Coates asked patients the question: 'What can I do for you?' The Trip documents exchanges between Coates and the late Alex H., who requested that the artist visit a remote small community in the Amazon on his behalf.
Find out more about The Trip by Marcus Coates
![marcus_coates_the_trip_365[1].jpg](http://www.serpentinegallery.org/marcus_coates_the_trip_365%5B1%5D.jpg)
Marcus Coates
The Trip 2010
Documentary photograph
Courtesy of the artist
