Mark Leckey: O' Magic Power of Bleakness

At Tate Britain, Mark Leckey transforms the gallery space with a life-sized section of a motorway bridge—specifically, a section of the M53 from Wirral, Merseyside. Why? Because he grew up in Merseyside and it was a strangely supernatural experience, which took place under that motorway, that transported him—figuratively, then literally—from the grey British suburb in the northwest to the wider world. Displayed alongside his video works Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore and Dream English Kid, “O’ Magic Power of Bleakness” is a story about life, dreams, and coming of age. —E.C.