The Bloomberg Commission: Giuseppe Penone: Spazio di Luce. Penone has drawn upon the ancient method of lost wax casting to create a twelve metre bronze tree with a radiant gold-leafed interior.
At the heart of Giuseppe Penone’s (b. 1947) work is a recognition of our inseparable ties with nature. For this commission, Penone has drawn upon the ancient method of lost wax casting to create a twelve metre bronze tree with a radiant gold-leafed interior. Spazio di Luce (2012) could easily be mistaken for a life-size cast, however where there was once a tree now there is a void.
The inside of the cast replicates the tree’s bark while the finger prints on the outside protect the memory of the many hands involved in the sculpture’s making. This fusion of bark and hand prints continues Penone’s career-long concern with setting the human body in dialogue with the organic world which it inhabits.
Associated with the legendary group of Arte Povera in Italy in the 1960s, Penone’s work over the past four decades has contributed to key developments in sculpture, including site specific installation, performance and land art.
An accompanying display of archive material traces Penone’s historic works, alongside a film of the artist at work in his Turin studio.
Whitechapel
77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 6pm, Thursdays 11am – 9pm
Admission free