Fwd: Enter the darkness

Dear friend, The month ahead is full of new experiences at Tate. Take Miroslaw Balka's 'How It Is', described by The Times as the "Turbine Hall's most successful commission to date." You turn a corner and creep up the ramp and into the darkness. You're surrounded by absolute pitch black, unable to see how far you've come, or how far you're able to go. You turn around and, as your eyes adjust to the dark, you see the ghostly shapes of others, following behind you, groping their own way into the blackness. You come to the border of whether you want to go further or not. Watch 30 seconds of video, see 'How It Is' and what else is on at Tate this month: http://art.tate.org.uk/whats-on Here's another new thing. We're only three weeks from the announcement of the winner of the Turner Prize 2009. First awarded in 1984, past winners read like a who's who of contemporary British art (and the past nominees aren't exactly nobodies either). This is what makes the Turner Prize exhibition so worthwhile - you just know that every piece of work will intrigue, inform and inspire for years to come. The exhibition runs until 3 January and will be open late (with half price tickets) on the evening of Friday 4 December. Book a ticket now: http://art.tate.org.uk/whats-on Another new experience you can join is one of our Curator's tours. On the evening of 7 December, join Catherine Wood, Tate's Curator of Contemporary Art, as she takes you around Pop Life at Tate Modern, showing how art, media, business and a touch of glamour came together to create the phenomenon of late 20th century artist as self-made 'star'. Tickets are £15 (£12 concessions). Places are limited, so you'll need to act now: http://art.tate.org.uk/whats-on At Tate Britain, Turner and the Masters is your first chance to see how JMW Turner's competitive streak led him to challenge the masters and develop fierce rivalries with his contemporaries. Which battles will he win? Which will he lose? You decide: http://art.tate.org.uk/whats-on Our final new experience of the month takes the form of John Baldessari. The Evening Standard tells us that 'If you always wanted to know what conceptual art was but were too scared to ask, this is the show to see.' We couldn't agree more. Investigate painting and photography from one of the founders of conceptual art. An artist and teacher, Baldessari influenced successive generations of artists including Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger. What will you learn? http://art.tate.org.uk/whats-on That's five great new experiences for the month ahead. More in December. Rebecca Ward, Tate Marketing P.S. We're still looking for feedback on our new emails. View: Not displaying properly? Share: Facebook | Twitter Forwarded this? Then sign up Miroslaw Balka, 'How It Is', Unliever Commission in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall 7 Dec Turner Prize Announcement (Live on C4) 7 Dec Pop Life: Curator's Tour Tate Britain Until 31 Jan Turner and the Masters Until 3 Jan Turner Prize Tate Modern Until 5 Apr Miroslaw Balka Until 17 Jan Pop Life Until 10 Jan John Baldessari Tate Liverpool Until 10 Jan Joyous Machines Tate St Ives Until 10 Jan The Dark Monarch