This unusual and very thoughtful show was stuck in my mind for several days after visiting it in Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, so I decided to write a separate post on it.
Ernesto Neto has already had his solo shows in NYC before, but to me it was a first acquaintance with his works.
I was impressed by his unusual genre, which is a mixture of textile works, sculptures, installations that overall gives an immersive and very tactile experience that is so rare in today's gallery shows.
The exhibition is called The Serpent's Energy Gave Birth To Humanity.
It consists of several works that took over the two floors of the gallery space.
On the first floor you see textile wall works - one of them represent some kind of a net, which also reminded me basic structures of molecules or neurons in our heads.
Then you have to take off your shoes to enter the immersive installation, consisting of some kind of a maze, made of the finger-crocheted textile. This mesmerizing pastel color patterns make you totally forget that you are walking in a commercial gallery in Chelsea and make you feel like inside the Eden Garden...
When actually you step inside the central part of the installation to find the real representation of this biblical story.
In the middle of this beautiful maze you'll see a garden, with all the symbols of the original sin and the birth of the humanity - apples, a tree and a serpent.
This little journey inside the textile sculpture is very symbolic and brings you quite an intimate experience with the artwork.
On the second floor of the gallery there are more interesting works, where my attention was immediately attracted by the central installation.
This flexible sculpture represents a serpent, that is obviously a center of this exhibition. But it also reminds a lot the human DNA structure, which also sends us back to the idea that the serpent was at the birth of the humanity - in both scientific and philosophical meanings.
Other installations on the second floor also involve various materials, such as beans, spices and living plants.
These installations explore shamanism and other tribal rituals, whereas also connected to the natural sciences.
I cannot tell you more - the exhibition is indeed sensorial and very personal, so I suggest visiting it on your own and have your personal experience.
Stay tuned!
🙏🏻
Ernesto Neto
The Serpent's Energy Gave Birth To Humanity
at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery until December 17th
521 West 21 Street, NY