
first image
'TorusMacroCopula', 2012 by ernesto neto for the 'madness is part of life' exhibition in tokyo
polypropylene, polyester string and plastic balls
780 x 120 x 120 cm
image © jérémie souteyrat
designboom visited the 'madness is part of life' exhibition at espace louis vuitton tokyo - the prodigious work of renowned brazilian artist ernesto neto and his protegé evandro machado, on show until the 6th of january, 2013. the title itself articulates the ideology behind the artwork, a physical declaration referencing common situations experienced collectively today - generated by a world governed by political correctness, over-stimulation and chaos.
the suspended masses, defined by expanses of netting loaded with thousands of plastic balls (aka 'roe cells'), can be best described as a tangible, lucid expression of madness - a quality thriving in all of us, shushed and controlled by the parameters of a society. neto's work banishes these boundaries and celebrates the insanity in the most overt way, with one of the largest pieces 'TorusMacroCopula' also a catwalk - allowing the audience to walk along the curling path.
the artwork honors the taboo of the human condition through loud, unabashed aplomb, and proudly too.
neto describes the philosophy behind the pieces:
'the valorization of the human is about productivity over humanist qualities, the closer to machines, the better it is. madness has been part of society, something that must be controlled, hidden by medication as if it were the right thing to do, but right for whom? the world is full of passion; it is a little madness that lives inside and around us....we need it!'

the suspended masses, defined by expanses of netting loaded with thousands of plastic balls (aka 'roe cells'), can be best described as a tangible, lucid expression of madness
image © jérémie souteyrat

neto's work banishes society's boundaries and celebrates the concept of insanity in the most overt way
image © jérémie souteyrat

the work is a physical declaration referencing situations experienced collectively today
image © jérémie souteyrat

the surreal landscape of the artwork
image © jérémie souteyrat

image © jérémie souteyrat

viewing the artwork from above
image © jérémie souteyrat

people are able to walk on this particular installation
image © designboom

a detail photo showing the plastic balls also known as 'roe cells' - as dubbed by the artist
image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

the audience was welcomed into the artwork
image © designboom
This looks like fun, so why this absurd symbology: it ‘can be best described as a tangible, lucid expression of madness — a quality thriving in all of us,’ Why not leave the viewer to attach her own meanings? Why not intestines engorged by a feast? Between the ideology and the expression looms a chasm, ernesto.
more intellectual BS