Join The Collection to save, track, and explore works like this.

Paul Chan — Worldwide Trash (Thanks for Nothing Hegel)
Paul Chan

Worldwide Trash (Thanks for Nothing Hegel)

A sprawling accumulation of discarded materials and detritus cascades and drifts across the gallery floor and walls, evoking both the relentless flow of global waste and the entropy of modern civilization. Chan's work conjures a poetic tension between destruction and transcendence, invoking the philosopher Hegel's dialectical thinking only to playfully undermine it with the blunt, irreverent reality of trash. The piece meditates on what societies discard and what endures, suggesting that history's grand narratives may ultimately resolve into nothing more than refuse.

🔨 Auction Lot

Editions & Works on Paper

April 24, 2018

Start the Discussion

Request access to join the discussion

About this work

Paul Chan, Worldwide Trash (Thanks for Nothing Hegel)

A sprawling accumulation of discarded materials and detritus cascades and drifts across the gallery floor and walls, evoking both the relentless flow of global waste and the entropy of modern civilization. Chan's work conjures a poetic tension between destruction and transcendence, invoking the philosopher Hegel's dialectical thinking only to playfully undermine it with the blunt, irreverent reality of trash. The piece meditates on what societies discard and what endures, suggesting that history's grand narratives may ultimately resolve into nothing more than refuse.

Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Male Artist, Mixed Media, Conceptual Art, Contemporary Artist, Critical Theory, Provocative Tone, American Artist, Political Commentary, Installation Art, Dystopian Themes, 21st Century, Social Critique, Text-Based Art, Dark Humor

More works by Paul Chan