Gravity is the Weakest Force in The Universe

Tension is honoured to present Gravity is the Weakest Force in the Universe, a solo exhibition by Mark Wallinger. Through a diverse body of work, Wallinger explores fundamental forces, both physical and existential. His work reminds us that gravity is not just a physical force but a metaphor for unseen influences that shape human experience. From the shifting landscapes of Field Paintings and the mirrored self of Alter Ego to the eternal dance of opposites embodied in Caster and Pollux, the Gemini twins, the exhibition invites us to consider the forces that structure and shape our world.

Wallinger’s The World Turned Upside Down, a public sculpture unveiled in 2019 at the London School of Economics, reimagines a political globe flipped upside down. In the film GRAVITY IS THE WEAKEST FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE, he documents public reactions, but the footage itself is inverted, returning the world to its conventional orientation. In this antipodean shift people curious to find their place on the globe move effortlessly if strangely, secured by gravity. Compared to the other fundamental forces like electromagnetism and the strong nuclear force, gravity exerts the least amount of force even though it holds planets, stars, solar systems and even galaxies together. It’s astounding to think that when you lift a ball, your foot, or jump off the ground, you’re momentarily overcoming the gravitational pull of the entire earth.

About the artist

Mark Wallinger is one of the UK’s leading contemporary artists. Having previously been nominated for the Turner Prize in 1995, he won in 2007 for his installation ‘State Britain’. His work ‘Ecce Homo’ (1999–2000) was the first piece to occupy the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square. He represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2001. ‘Labyrinth’ (2013, 2023), a major and permanent commission for Art on the Underground, was created to celebrate 150 years of the London Underground. In 2018, the permanent work ‘Writ in Water’ was realised for the National Trust to celebrate Magna Carta at Runnymede, and ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ was unveiled in 2019 for the London School of Economics.