La Gabbia
1962-1974
13 elements : screen printing on steel, mirror polished stainless steel
230 x 125.2 cm (each) Overall dimensions: 230 x 1627.6 x 2 cm (90 9/16 x 640 13/16 x 13/16 in.)
La Gabbia (the cage in Italian) is an immersive installation that traps the viewer in an experience of captivity. Abolishing the spatial distinction between inside and outside, a very long mirror with trompe-l'oeil black bars aims to visually imprison visitors while leaving them free to move around the exhibition room.
The cage and mirror motif appeared in the early 1960s in Michelangelo Pistoletto’s work, including monumental installations such as La Gabbia. According to the artist, it embodies the encounter between the image-time and the image-movement, captured together: "Fixed time follows changing time in the same space and on the same surface. It's a trap, a capture of the present."
La Gabbia was presented for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the 2009 major group show "Mapping the Studio" at the Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi in Venice.
The cage and mirror motif appeared in the early 1960s in Michelangelo Pistoletto’s work, including monumental installations such as La Gabbia. According to the artist, it embodies the encounter between the image-time and the image-movement, captured together: "Fixed time follows changing time in the same space and on the same surface. It's a trap, a capture of the present."
La Gabbia was presented for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the 2009 major group show "Mapping the Studio" at the Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi in Venice.
Exhibitions
© Michelangelo Pistoletto
Courtesy Galleria Christian Stein, Milano
Photo : Maniscalco Milano
