words by Carol King
Arte Povera member Giuseppe Penone’s bronze cast of tree is now installed at London’s Whitechapel Gallery. His artwork is not the only one by an Italian artist to feature at the top gallery, which will exhibit sculptures by Maurizio Cattelan later this month.
Called Spazio di Luce (Space of Light), the 12m-long bronze has a radiant gold-leaf interior that spreads across the columned gallery. Part of a body of work by Penone that examines society’s relationship to nature, the gleaming gold inside the tree pays tribute to the life-giving forces of light. It was commissioned by Bloomberg, which invites an international artist to create site-specific artwork each year. Space of Light is on show until August 2013. It is accompanied by a year-long programme of events exploring the relationship between nature and the city to be hosted at the Whitechapel, which is known globally for premiering contemporary art.
Until the 2nd of December visitors will also be able to see a selection of Cattelan’s works as part of a series of displays from Turin’s Collection Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. The art-world’s agent provocateur, Cattelan’s oeuvre is often amusing and always provocative. Among the Cattelan pieces to be seen are his 1994 installation with rubble taken from the Milan Contemporary Art Pavilion after it was severely damaged by Mafia bombs, and his tragic but cute 1996 piece of a miniature family kitchen containing a squirrel that has committed suicide Bidibidobidiboo named after the fairy-godmother’s song in Disney’s Cinderella.
Admission is free to the exhibitions.
