Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Matthew Barney Pavillion Erected in Brazil



The New York Times reports that Brazilian art collector Bernardo Paz is building a pavillion to house Matthew Barney's De Lama Lamina at his Instituto Cultural Inhotim near Brumadinho, Brazil. Inhotim is a 3,000 acre museum and sculpture garden featuring large-scale works by artists including Yayoi Kusama, Chris Burden, and Olafur Eliasson. Barney's pavillion will be a permanent installation related to the his 2004 De Lama Lamina collaboration with Arto Lindsay, which was filmed in nearby Salvador de Bahia.

Inhotim's web site says, "De Lama Lâmina (2004-2008) is the first permanent installation developed by Matthew Barney for a museological institution. The artist has chosen to place the work amidst a eucalyptus forest, viewing the displacement experience as part of the project. After walking a winding path to reach the work, the visitor faces a seemingly unfinished scenario: two geodesic domes of steel and glass, attached to each other, amidst iron ore hills and fallen trees. Inside, space is taken by a huge tractor that lifts a resin tree. Used in the shooting and in the performance, the tractor is here transformed into a big sculpture. Tension is generated by bringing together opposite poles that constitute the work’s organizing principle, evoking the dualism between creation and destruction, fertility and death."