ugo rondinone's monumental 'nuns + monks' sculptures exhibited at galerie eva presenhuber

galerie eva presenhuber, zurich, presents ugo rondinone’s ‘nuns + monks’, a series of monumental sculptures that immerse visitors in a sensory experience of color, form, and mass. on view until december 19, 2020, the exhibition evokes other sculptural installations by the artist, such as ‘human nature’ on rockefeller plaza in 2013, and ‘seven magic mountains’ in the nevada desert in 2016 (see previous coverage here). though previously made in stone, these new polychrome sculptures are cast in bronze after their limestone models, scans of which were ‘three-dimensionalized’ with digital tools.

installation views: ugo rondinone, nuns + monks, galerie eva presenhuber, maag areal, zurich, 2020  © ugo rondinone
courtesy the artist and galerie eva presenhuber, zurich / new york 

all images by stefan altenburger photography, zurich

ugo rondinone’s ‘nuns + monks’ sculptures at galerie eva presenhuber, zurich, express a dual reflection between the inner self and the natural world. the monumental objects comprise two distinct body parts – the head and the cloak – while their features are indistinct, stripped of sexual characteristics, rendering it difficult to distinguish the nuns from the monks based on their mere appearance. their ‘archaic’ beauty evokes a radiance reinforced by the chromatic contrasts, manifesting visibility while simultaneously avoiding the gaze of those to whom they are shown.

‘stones have been a presence and recurring material and symbol in my art,’ says rondinone. ‘they are the subjects of the stone figures that I began with the monumental human nature installation at the rockefeller plaza in 2013, followed by seven magic mountains in the nevada desert in 2016. both groups are the study and enjoyment of naturally formed stones as objects of beauty and contemplation, and in turn generate personal, meditative states of looking in which the boundaries between the outside world and internally visualized spaces break down. in doing so, I make sculptures of what it means and feels like to see, whether this is understood to be a physical or metaphysical phenomenon.’

‘”nuns + monks” will continue to address the dual reflection between the inner self and the natural world,’ the new york-based, swiss-born artist adds. ‘just as the external world one sees is inseparable from the internal structures of oneself, nuns + monks allows such layers of signification to come in and out of focus, prompting the viewer to revel in the pure sensory experience of color, form, and mass while simultaneously engender in an altogether contemporary version of the sublime.’

‘nuns + monks’ opened at galerie eva presenhuber, zurich, on september 12, and will be on view until december 19, 2020. concurrent to ugo rondinone’s exhibition at the gallery, the artist also presented sculptures from the same body of work at esther schipper, berlin, and sant’andrea de scaphis, rome.