Galerie Max Hetzler is pleased to present in both galleries new work by Brazilian-born artist Ernesto Neto.
In the Holzmarktstrasse gallery the viewer is confronted with a 'body landscape' that spreads out into the space. An island-animal-mountain-skin scenery is created out of coloured foam and seemingly heavy carpet-like lycra rug. Soft chains of hills rise out of red fabric units.
In the Zimmerstrasse gallery a combination of two similar installations is on view. According to the artist, these installations open at the same time a „positive and a negative continuity from the body to the landscape" and can therefore evoke a dialogical energetic field. The world is hidden under the skin.
In Ernesto Neto´s installations the choice of materials is quite crucial. Lycra, a textile typically used for women's hosiery, polyamide fabrics, sand and styrofoam produce a soft and fantastic impact, where volume is balanced with the impression of ethereal lightness. Neto's work creates an atmosphere of intimacy in space. It varies from tactile pieces through which you can insert your arms and legs to architectual environments that you can walk within. His enveloping sculptures often seem to get their power from their inherent fragility. Moreover, his creations not only affect the eye and the sense of touch. Neto often conceals spices in his sculptures to produce a mystic aura that the viewer cannot escape. One gets automatically drawn into a peculiar and sensual world. Likewise, the landscape is an important subject in Neto´s work, the oddity of nature and the tension between nature and artificiality. The sculptures with the specific appeal of the space that is built from the visual complexity along with a perception that includes all the senses turn into an intense experience.
The rugs included in these shows have been produced by craftswomen in the cooperative „Coopa Roca" (Cooperativa de Trabalho Artesanal e de Costura da Rosinha) nearby Rio.
Ernesto Neto was born in 1964 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where he currently lives and works. He has exhibited internationally with solo shows at MoCA Los Angeles (2003), Hirshhorn Museum Washington DC (2002), Kunsthalle Basel (2002), Kölnischer Kunstverein Cologne (2001), Centro Galego de Arte Contemporaneo Santiago de Compostela (2001), Brazilian pavillion of the Venice Biennal (2001), ICA London (2000), Magazin 3 Stockholm (2000).
Neto's work is represented in several Museum's collections, among them the Centre Pompidou, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Tate Modern, MoCA, MoMa, Carnegie Museum and the Hirshhorn Museum.
For further information please contact the gallery at 030 229 24 37, or visit our website at www.maxhetzler.com.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am – 6pm