Micol Assaël
ILIOKATAKINIOMUMASTILOPSARODIMAKOPIOTITA
Until 4 May 2014
Pirelli HangarBicocca
Via Chiese 2
Milan
Hours: Thursday–Sunday 11am–11pm
Free admission
T +39 02 6611 1573
info [at] hangarbicocca.org
Curated by Andrea Lissoni
Pirelli HangarBicocca presents ILIOKATAKINIOMUMASTILOPSARODIMAKOPIOTITA, a solo exhibition by Micol Assaël (born in Rome in 1979, currently based in Astypalea, Greece). Curated by Andrea Lissoni, the exhibition consists of four major works from Micol Assaël’s career from 2003 to 2009 but never previously exhibited together, as well as a new work. Visitors are invited to empathically attune to five settings, which are almost like micro-housing units, and to discover their hidden details: in this sense, the physical and, to an even greater degree, mental dimension of listening is a key aspect of the artist’s research.
The title, ILIOKATAKINIOMUMASTILOPSARODIMAKOPIOTITA, is a combination of various Greek words which Micol Assaël joins together in an intentionally meaningless manner. This “musical tongue twister” prevents any pre-established interpretation, allowing visitors experiences to determine the way they perceive the works. Sound appears in this exhibition right from the title, and it is the unifying element that brings together Micol Assaël’s works in the 1,800 square metres of the Shed at Pirelli HangarBicocca.
At the centre of the space stands 432Hz (2009–2014), a wooden shell that contains an exquisite iridescent world which shows how nature plays a dominant role in Micol Assaël’s art. The work consists of a series of frames each containing a backlit wax drawing and an audio track, activated by the presence of the visitor which reproduces the hum of bees in a hive. The frequency chosen as the title of the work, 432hz, corresponds to the vibrations emitted by bees and strictly connected to the sounds of nature. Vorkuta (2003) is a refrigeration chamber where the temperature of -30°C contrasts with a chair maintained at a constant +37°C by an internal thermostat. Untitled (2003) is a small iron room inside which are a table, a bed and a cupboard, together with a tangle of electric cables, crossed by blasts of air channelled into the space by powerful fans. Sub, a new work specially created for the exhibition at Pirelli HangarBicocca, is an assembly of iron and glass display units which the artist originally designed to exhibit her Inner Disorder (1999–2001) series of drawings. Either from outside or by going into the transparent structure, visitors can watch the phenomenon of electrostatic charges being produced by a Kelvin generator, which forms the heart of the work. Mindfall (2004–2007) consists of a salvaged container which contains a chair and tables, on which 21 electric motors are arranged. These turn on intermittently, one after the other, creating a sort of musical composition. On 5 March the artist invited the Finnish musician Mika Vainio to interpret and amplify the frequencies, vibrations and sounds generated by the engines of Mindfall.
From 27 March (opening 26 March at 7 pm) the exhibition can be seen together with Cildo Meireles. Installations, the first show in Italy devoted to one of the most relevant and best-known post-war artists. Curated by Vicente Todolí, the exhibition includes 12 of the artist’s most important installations, made from 1970 to the present day.
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