The work of the Scandinavian artist duo Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset on the Coolsingel celebrated its ten-year anniversary on 26 May. Commissioned by Sculpture International Rotterdam (SIR) they developed the work in 2011 It's Never Too Late to Say Sorry. Its unveiling coincided with the opening of the artist duo's first major retrospective exhibition in the Netherlands: The One And The Many in the Submarine Wharf in Rotterdam.
About work
It's Never Too Late to Say Sorry taps into the conventions of the art world. In a display case, often found in cities as a display for shopkeepers, is not a work of art, but a megaphone with which a personal, political and everyday appeal is made to the passing public. You can call it a 'powerless gesture'. The statue is placed in front of the former main post office on the Coolsingel, a large empty space – with the robust, stately buildings of the town hall and post office as a backdrop – which many people pass by every day. During the renovations of the Coolsingel, the statue was temporarily moved, but it has now returned to its original location.
Wim Konings has been 'the caller' for ten years
It's Never Too Late to Say Sorry is part of SIR's art program for the Coolsingel axis. The artwork consists of a carefully designed museum display case containing a polished stainless steel megaphone on a granite pedestal. Performer Wim Konings walks to the display case, opens the door, picks up the megaphone and shouts: “It's Never Too Late to Say Sorry!” This performance has been repeated every day for two years at 12 noon since the opening. Nowadays, the performance only takes place on Wednesdays at 12 noon, for ten years now! That is why Wim Konings was put in the spotlight on 26 May. View here the video registration of the tenth anniversary.