ernesto neto highlights the cycles of nature in latest installation at tanya bonakdar gallery

ERNESTO NETO PRESENTS A NEW IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENT

Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto has brought his immersive environments of vibrant color, fragrance and sound to New York’s Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Titled Between Earth and Sky, the solo exhibition occupies both levels of the gallery with two massive installations that invite visitors to relax, observe and even do some gardening.

Ernesto Neto’s Between Earth & Sky will be on view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery from May 14th to June 16th, 2022.

images by Dan Bradica, courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles

FEATURING THE ARTIST’S RENOWNED STOCKING-LIKE MATERIAL AND NETS

Neto is known for creating installations and sculptures out of stocking-like material and nets that he fills with various objects like spices, sand and shells. Drawing from biomorphism, minimalist sculpture, neo-concretism and other brazilian vanguard movements of the 1960s & 70s, the artist both references and incorporates organic shapes and materials that engage all five senses, producing a new type of perception that renegotiates boundaries between artwork and viewer.

He has cited Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Clark, Alexander Calder, Constantin Brancusi, the natural world, shamanism and craft culture, as some of his greatest sources of inspiration.

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Set in the downstairs gallery, earthtreelifelove presents the culmination of Neto’s ongoing exploration of the relationship between humans and the environment, with an installation that highlights the cycles of nature. On the floor, a cotton crochet carpet represents the earth and the ocean, while the hanging pieces act for the sky and the leaves that fall from trees. Visitors can take off their shoes, lie down and direct their gaze up to experience a calm moment, ideal for contemplation and meditation.

On the walls, Neto has created Steps and Leaves, attaching over 250 knotted cotton formations on the walls. These represent human steps moving through Earth.

The second floor welcomes a sculptural garden naturally-lit by the gallery’s skylight. Comprised of spices, mulch, bubbles, soil and plants, the installation invites the public to plant the garden, therefore connecting with the natural environment and one another. By outlining the space with bricks and crochet forms, Ernesto Neto has created a sanctuary for plants and humans to thrive.