Early last March, London’s Conservative mayor Boris Johnson unveiled Hans Haacke’s “Gift Horse,” the tenth commission installed on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth. Described on the Greater London Authority’s website as a rumination on the “link[s] between power, money, and history,” “Gift Horse” consists of a bronze horse skeleton and a live electronic ticker of the London Stock Exchange. During the unveiling, both Johnson and Haacke evaded questions about the work’s meaning; Johnson acutely aware of the sculpture’s import during a period of harsh economic austerity, and Haacke preferring to leave the interpretation of his work to viewers.

During the 1960s, Haacke produced works concerned with physical systems and processes, an exemplar being “Condensation Cube” (1963–65), a clear acrylic cube partially filled with water. The tumultuous events of the late ‘60s prompted Haacke to broaden his attention to socio-political systems. “MoMA Poll” (1970), the artist’s contribution to the Museum of Modern Art’s Information exhibition, took the form of a ballot in which he asked visitors “would the fact that Governor Rockefeller has not denounced President Nixon’s Indochina Policy be a reason for your not voting for him in November?” Nelson Rockefeller had previously served as the museum’s president and his brother David was the chairman of MoMA’s board at the time. Following the display of this work at MoMA, Haacke’s work was not exhibited at the museum again until the late ‘80s. A survey exhibition of Haacke’s work, which includes a number of the artist’s gallery and museum polls (including “MoMA Poll”), is currently on display as part of the 56th Venice Biennale.

In 1971, the Guggenheim Museum cancelled a solo show of Haacke’s work. The decision largely centered on “Shapolsky et al. Manhattan Real Estate Holdings, A Real-Time Social System, as of May 1971” (1971) an installation of documents charting the business transactions of New York City slumlord Harry Shapolsky. The museum was subsequently subject to a number of demonstrations by the Art Workers Coalition (AWC), an activist group of which Haacke was a member. Haacke’s work continues to shine a spotlight on the business dealings of politicians, collectors, and corporations. His subjects have included Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Rudolph Giuliani, Peter Ludwig, Mobil, Phillip Morris, Deutsche Bank, Daimler Benz, and British Leyland. Haacke is currently a member of Gulf Labor, a coalition of artists and activists campaigning for the protection of worker’s rights during the construction of museums and institutions on Saadiyat Island (‘happiness’ island) in Abu Dhabi. Haacke is one of the most high-profile artists to have adopted the “Artist’s Reserved Rights Transfer and Sale Agreement,” a contract that requires his collectors to pay a 15% royalty on profits each time his art work is subsequently resold. The contract also reserves him the right to veto a work’s inclusion in a public exhibition.

The following interview was conducted at the offices of the Paula Cooper Gallery. The transcript has been edited for clarity and comments have been added at the request of the artist.