paola pivi's 'lies', feathered bike wheels, and double-sided beds at the bass museum in miami

in an exhibition coinciding with miami art week 2018, italian artist paola pivi has filled the bass museum with some of her most recognizable works. titled ‘art with a view’, the exhibition also presents new work by the artist, as well as pivi’s anthropomorphic, feather-covered polar bears; canvases of cascading pearls; video showing fish in flight on a passenger jet; and an 80-piece mattress installation. each piece poses questions and is defined by its openness to interpretation, through the appropriation of cultural symbols.

installation view of pivi’s spinning, feathered bike wheels
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

inside the bass museum are a multitude of paola pivi’s kinetic works. made of constantly rotating bicycle wheels adorned with bird feathers, these spinning wheels evoke dream catchers and provide a somewhat hypnotic experience. the ten pieces are installed on the museum’s white walls, allowing the bold plumes and mesmerizing rotations to take center stage.

bold plumes and mesmerizing rotations to take center stage
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

the circular works, which vary in both scale and materiality, have been given names such as: ‘people tell me I look like a jellyfish’, ‘this is as close as you can get to the peacock eyes’, and ‘it was falling from the birds’. the kinetic pieces employ the bright colors associated with pivi’s work, as well as the feathered materiality found in her whimsical polar bears elsewhere in the exhibition.

as the wheels spin, they evoke the image of a dream catcher
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

it was my choice, 2017
aluminum, engine, pavo cristatus (peacock) feathers
gif © designboom

I don’t have a name, 2016
aluminum, engine, struthio camelus (ostrich) feathers
gif © designboom

in the next room, pivi has installed an exhibition titled ‘lies’. the work is comprised of 92 television screens, 40,000 images of reality, and over 200 recorded lies played through a sound system. pivi conceived the piece in 2013 while entangled in a court case surrounding the custody of her adopted son. during this period, she experienced the opposition using inflammatory lies in order to paint her and her family in a negative light.

watch ‘lies’, a room-sized installation of 92 televisions and pre-recorded statements without truth
video © designboom

since this incident, she has become more and more aware of the prevalence of lies in politics, the media, and quotidian experience; stating that lies are a powerful tool of manipulation. pivi brings attention our complicated relationship with perception, control, and truth as well as the glut of information we engage with on a daily basis.

lies, 2018
92 televisions displaying 40,000 images of reality, recorded lies played through a sound system, steel, acrylic
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

the immersive room infills visitors ears with ‘lies’
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

the images on the screens are in constant flux as the pre-recorded ‘lies’ resound throughout the space
gif © designboom

‘world record’ is a new installation created specially for the exhibition. comprising two horizontal planes, each made of 40 white mattresses, the piece encourages guests to enter and explore the work as a way to investigate the ‘space in between’. open on all sides, the interactive sculpture allows participants to make their way from one end of the room to the other.

world record, 2018
mattresses, wood, steel, denim
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

exhibition-goers are invited to climb inside the giant, double-sided mattress
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

the installation explores the notion of ‘the space in-between’
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

open on all sides, the sculpture allows participants to make their way from one end of the gallery to the other
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

visitors take off their shoes and must put on booties before entering ‘world record’
image © designboom

‘I wish I am fish’ is a film created during a 2009 performance commissioned by one day sculpture in new zealand. for the performance a plane was flown to auckland international airport and, in each seat, sat a fish in a bowl. the work captures the journey of the 84 flying fish and speaks to the fantasy of travel and exchange.

I wish I am fish, 2009
video projection with sound | duration: 4 minutes, 35 seconds
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass

paola pivi, untitled (donkey), 2003
photographic print, aluminum, frame | 71 x 88 inches / 180 x 224 cm
image courtesy the artist and dallas contemporary

elsewhere, pivi brings her globally recognized feather-covered polar bears to the bass museum, climbing up the walls and hanging from the ceiling. last year, in celebration of milan design week 2017, pivi infilled the window displays at la rinascente department store with a colorful and playful scenography.

‘art with a view’ remains on display at miami’s bass museum until march 10, 2019.

‘art with a view’ presents both new and past work by the artist
photo by attilio maranzano, courtesy the artist and the bass