Caverne

Walking through the giant cave that is Huang Yong Ping’s Caverne, an opening appears to reveal sculptures of Buddhas and Taliban figures ensconced in the cave, dimly lit by a lantern casting shadows of bats on the walls.

Caverne (2009) combines different Western and Eastern artistic traditions, iconic images, and political, philosophical and religious references. It refers in particular to Plato’s Cave, where the characters can see nothing but shadows, making this their only reality. Outside the cave, the artist gives the viewer a privileged position, to stop them becoming a prisoner of their own imaginations. Huang also refers to the Taliban’s destruction of the Buddhas of Bamyan, in Afghanistan in 2001.

The artist’s work in the Pinault Collection was first presented at the Palazzo Grassi at the "Le Monde vous appartient" (“The World Belongs to You”) exhibition (2011-2012).