photo: FUKUNAGA Kazuo
BODY SPACE NAVE MIND
| Artist | Ernesto NETO |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Material/ Technique | lycra, aluminum, styrofoam, rice, herb |
| Size/ Duration | dimensions variable |
| Copyright Notice | © Ernesto NETO |
| Year of acquisition/ donation | 2006（作品購入年月日：2006/03/31） |
| Description | Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1964. Lives and works there. Ernesto Neto’s works range from those made using rubber balls and sheets of steel that show an awareness of physics and gravity to the three-dimensional pieces and installations made using Lycra, an elastic and permeable fabric, into which are stuffed lead, Styrofoam pellets, and aromatic spices. These organic, sensuous forms call to mind mucous, viscera, and unknown life forms. Because the fabric is stretchy, the works themselves assume different forms depending on the shape and weight of the objects or people inside them, heightening the intimacy of the relationship between the viewers and the objects. Although the style of arousing interaction between the audience and the works was also a feature of the Neo-Concrete Movement that spread throughout Brazil in the late-1950s, Neto enquires more deeply into such issues as the state of the human body and our relationship with the universe. Rice is inserted into the ends of giant cell-like structures made by stitching together pieces of pink and turquoise Lycra to weigh them down. A balance is achieved amidst the tense relationship between the tension of the fabric being pulled upwards by the poles and the gravitational pull of the weight of the rice. The resultant forms, which are unstable yet self-supporting, assume a roundness like a living thing with arms and legs. After entering its inside and passing through a forest of vertical pink tubes that resemble blood vessels, the visitor is led in to a turquoise world. On lowering themselves onto a massive cushion, their vision is obstructed by layers of Lycra and becomes hazy as they find themselves enveloped in a mysterious closeness. This work is part of a series of works that the audience can pass through entitled “Nave” (which means ‘ship’ or ‘spacecraft’ in Portuguese) series. Based on the idea that our body represents everything we have, and that it is through our own body that we experience all the things that surround us, including the universe, Neto compares the human body to a spacecraft. His works, which utilize fabric that feels like human skin, a human staple in the form of rice, and the aromas of herbs, slowly yet directly impress on our bodies and minds the artist’s unique worldview. |
NOTES
This Collection Data page contains the works and materials in the collection of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, as of April 1, 2018.
Artists are listed alphabetically by artist’s surname.
Works and materials by the same artists are listed according to the date of the work in principle.
Works whose dates are unidentified are listed at the end of each item. Some works are not listed according to the date of work due to their relations.
The data of works and materials are listed in order of title, production year, material/technique/form, dimensions, donor’s name, copyright holder and credit for photograph.
Dimensions are given by height (H) x width (W) in centimeters for plane work, and height (H) x width (W) x depth (D) in cm for 3-D work. Diameter (Ø) is used for circular work.
For the name of country or city, the name currently used in English is listed in principle.