Recently in New York at The Park Avenue Armory there was an installation show by Ernesto Neto. He takes biological artworks to another level in my opinion. Where as some smaller textile works can represent items on a petri dish he represents entire oversized internal structures — so much so that you can feel like you’re inside a cell that’s just dripping on you!
His pieces not only allow you to walk through and on them but also be a part of the works — experiencing them through touch or smell even.
Neto does sometimes put spices in his works so that you are motivated to get up closer to them and think about interacting with the whole spaces in new ways.
In addition to the stocking-like materials he uses, Neto builds skeletal structures for many of his pieces to support the netting. These structures are also biological while not being representational.
Above is part of the skeleton from the Armory show.
The structures above show how many of his works fit together almost like puzzles or like Ikea furniture on the flip side. I saw a set of furniture that looked like this at Droog the other day, clip together type stuff — very cool to see if used in sculpture!
Neto is from Brazil and I’m curious to see where he shows next after leaving New York about a month ago. I can’t wait to go see his next installation, where I can climb inside some of his pieces like the ones below.
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