Doris Salcedo: Shibboleth

Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth begins with an inconspicuous crack at the entrance of Tate Modern, inviting the viewer to follow its meandering course which runs 167 meters down the full length of the Turbine Hall. This encourages visitors to walk meditatively along the widening chasm, in contrast to a very different journey down Carsten Holler’s slides in a previous exhibition last year, also in the Turbine Hall, where all thought was suspended during the exhilarating descent. Shibboleth is groundbreaking – not only in the literal sense but also because it is the first time in Tate Modern’s history that a work of art has been embedded in the building itself, leaving a permanent mark after the crack is filled at the end of the exhibition in April.