ernesto neto sets sensory sculptures within the aspen art museum

ernesto neto sets sensory sculptures within the aspen art museum
installation view at ‘gratitude’, aspen art museum
photo by tony prikryl/ image courtesy of the artist and tanya bonakdar gallery

ernesto neto: gratitude
aspen art museum, colorado
now through september 7th, 2014

working with semitransparent fabric as a medium and on a vastly large-scale — trademark characteristics of his creative oeuvre — brazilian artist ernesto neto sets a series of sensory sculptures within the aspen art museum for the exhibition ‘gratitude’. unlike other shows taking place at the prestigious gallery site, where visitors are prohibited to interact with or touch the art on display, neto’s work does exactly the opposite, beckoning the audience to experience each piece on a multi-sensory level. spanning both the AAM’s upper and lower galleries, ‘gratitude’ presents museum-goers with the opportunity to slow down, pause and rediscover the tactile, acoustic and visual qualities neto has composed within each sculptural installation.

flower crystal power, 2014 — installation view at ‘gratitude’, aspen art museum
photo by tony prikryl/ image courtesy of the artist and tanya bonakdar gallery

referencing forms found in the natural world such as flowers, seeds and roots, neto sculpts each area with an organic and biomorphic character, simultaneously evoking skin and internal bodily systems. within the exhibition space, large floral figures are situated around the room, canvassed in a plush fabric for visitors to sit and lie on. hanging above, tent-like umbrella pods act as a sheath above the lounge, with suspended crystals and drooping crochet nets hovering just above the viewer’s reach. with an overall tone of pastel pink, orange and bright-blue, the gallery is converted into a engaging and vibrant place, challenging the notion of sculpture as a static object and exploring the ways in which changes to a built environment can transform relationships between people.

egg bell crystal shell, 2014

capsule seed, 2014