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Artists take exterior of closed Hayward Gallery as their canvas

London SE1 website team

'Hey, We're Closed!' is a programme of interventions by 13 international artists on the exterior and surrounding space of the Hayward Gallery during the venue's temporary closure for refurbishment.

Artists take exterior of closed Hayward Gallery as their canvas
Bob and Roberta Smith's contribution to 'Hey, We're Closed'
Artists take exterior of closed Hayward Gallery as their canvas
Klaus Weber's poster for a fictional exhibition

The Swedish artist Annika Eriksson presents a new work entitled 'I'm Still Waiting For You' that makes use of the Hayward's illuminated sign, causing it to flicker as though it has ceased to function correctly, or as though it were on the brink of blinking out forever.

For her work 'Buen Viaje' ('Have a Good Journey') Argentine artist Amalia Pica is transforming the interior and exterior of the security cabin beside the Hayward's car park from 8 April to 31 May into a fantasy environment, taking her visual cues from the customised vehicles of South American truckers. The refurbished cabin will function as normal throughout the Hayward's period of closure, providing the site's security staff with shelter from the elements.

British artist Bob and Roberta Smith has made his mark on the inside of the glass window of Hayward's foyer with a vast vinyl sign declaring 'I SHOULD BE IN CHARGE'.

In Many Ways These Exhibitions Will Never Happen is a rolling presentation of posters for fictional exhibitions at the Hayward Gallery, designed by nine international artists. Each participating artist was given a simple brief: to devise a poster for a show to be held at the Hayward Gallery between 2011 and the end of time.

No other restrictions were given. Any group of art works – be they real or imagined, from the distant past or from the far future – was permissible. Budgets were infinite. Customary curatorial considerations could be happily ignored.

The first set of three posters which will be on show until 18 April are by Klaus Weber who proposes filling the Hayward Gallery entirely with water and the odd eel, Ken Lum who has devised an exhibition of the work of famous artist suicides, and Bo Christian Larsson (b whose fictional show is curated by the Large Hadron Collider.

A set of three new posters will be unveiled every three weeks until the end of May 2010; Anna Barriball, Lara Favaretto, Loris Gr̩aud (19 April Р10 May) followed by Erik Van Lieshout, Nathaniel Mellors and Cullinan Richards (10-31 May).

The Hayward Gallery is temporarily closed for upgrades to maintenance systems. It opens again to the public on 19 June with two major exhibitions: Ernesto Neto and The New Decor.

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