“On 16 July 2012, the Tanks opened at Tate Modern. They connect old with new, a space for new kinds of art and new kinds of experience. They remind us of Bankside’s past as a power station, and they are the foundations for the new Tate Modern which is being developed above them.
The opening event in the Tanks was a live performance of the classic work Fase by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, one of the leading contemporary choreographers. That demonstrated the rich potential of the world’s first gallery spaces dedicated to performance and installation” (from the Chairman’s Foreword in the Tate Annual Report 2012/13)
“The Tanks will be launched with a fifteen-week festival from 18 July to 28 October 2012 celebrating performance and installation art and the historical works that have shaped it. The Tanks are raw, industrial spaces which provide an anchor and home for the live art and film programmes which have previously been presented in diverse spaces around Tate Modern.
The festival will allow audiences to explore new developments in art practice and learning, see bold new work being developed by artists, and engage more deeply with the programme. A major new commission and recent acquisitions will go on display for the first time and, for ten days during the festival, the programme will be created by and for young people. The opening programme is supported by The Tanks Supporters Group.” (Tate press release)
