Gallery 2 at the new Whitechapel. Picture: Richard Bryant
In one room of The Whitechapel Gallery, as part of an exhibition by Turner prize nominee Goshka Macuga, stands an upper body sculpture of former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, grasping a remnant of anthrax in a rehash of his war-endorsing 2003 speech .
In another, the work of German installation art loon Isa Genzken is the subject of a major retrospective, juxtaposed by iconic Freud manifestations and an upstairs gallery tracing The Whitechapel Boys, three hugely influential local Jewish artists in the early 20th century. At the entrance, there's a shot of a reclining David Hockney puffing a cigarette.
The contradictory styles and disciplines leap out as you weave through this myriad of incision-laced surprises, but perhaps that's appropriate for the new Whitechapel, an internationally-celebrated gallery which nestles between takeaways and trainer shops.
Lucian Freud, Girl with Roses (1947 - 8O), oil on canvas. Picture © the artist, courtesy British Council Collection
If the building and the wildly contrasting material within it can't quite be labelled anomalistic, the £13.5 million expansion seems certain to add to the singular feel of the place when it reopens on Sunday (April 5 2009).
There are a total of eight galleries here, offering everything from a Picasso tapestry on loan from the UN in New York to an auditorium broadcasting cinematic visions of bygone decadence and femininity from Ursula Meyer.
Belgian architects Robben en Daem have increased the size of the Whitechapel by more than three-quarters, including a research room for the Gallery's historic archive, dining space, improved access and an Education and Research Tower at the top of the building with breathtaking views across the surrounding sprawl, much of which bears the mark of their design collaboration with Rachel Whiteread.
Isa Genzken, Hospital (Ground Zero) (2008), artificial flowers, plastic, metal, glass, acrylic, spraypaint, mirror foil, MDF. Courtesy Charles Asprey, Hauser & Wirth, Zürich, London, and Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne/Berlin
Guernica, Picasso's antiwar tapestry, is a recreation of his painting protesting against the bombing of the Spanish town which killed hundreds of civilians in 1937.
The original was displayed here in 1939, and this is the first time it's been seen in Britain since. In a week when sympathisers of the message it contains took to nearby streets, the gravitas of the piece feels vital.
Clore Creative Studios. Picture: Richard Bryant
Genzken's towers dominate the central exhibition space, a maddening swathe of aluminium, glass, dolls and robotic figures revealing the near-insanity the artist is known for.
You couldn't summarise or hope to understand everything here, but if anything symbolises the palace of weird curiosities the new site is, it's Genzken's work.
Gilbert & George, Intellectual Depression (1980), photo-piece (16 panels). Picture © the artist / White Cube Gallery, courtesy British Council Collection
The potential is vast – plans are afoot for the return of the East End Academy in the summer, a show by Elizabeth Peyton, more from the British Council collection and photography from South Asia next year, assembling and rotating without the lengthy pauses the former set-up of the building dictated.
It's exciting stuff, although the opening selection should prove more than enough to keep visitors inspired for now.
Liam Gillick Prototype Conference Room, Zilkha Auditorium. Picture: Richard Bryant
