PIRELLI – HANGAR BICOCCA
Breath Ghosts Blind

The architectural spaces of Pirelli HangarBicocca are currently hosting the latest works of internationally renowned artist Maurizio Cattelan. Entitled ‘Breath Ghosts Blind’, the site- specific project has been curated by Roberta Tenconi and Vicente Todolí, together with talented light designer Pasquale Mari.

Coming back to Milan after more than 10 years, Cattelan investigated – in ascending order – our existence, mixing existential questions with religious symbolism and current circumstances. The exhibition is set in a bare muted atmosphere, that contributes to the spectator’s feeling of alienation. The itinerary is dived in three parts, as the title suggests. ‘There are three pieces of art, but this is an exhibition gathering all of the obsessions, subjects, images and themes that accompanied the thirty-year-long work of Maurizio, so it’s a long journey’, noted Roberta Tenconi, the show’s curator. ‘Breath’ is a sculpture set on the floor, in which the artist puts together a human being in the foetal position with a dog.

There’s no explanation given whether there’s an established relationship between the two or not, but the intimate scene recalls the generative moment of breathing, essential to survival. ‘Ghosts’ is a renewed version of an installation seen at the Venice Biennale twice, in 1997 (‘Tourists’) and 2011 (‘Others’).

Thousands of taxidermic pigeons are scattered on the industrial beams of the structure, far from the spectators, generating a sense of uneasiness, while being unmoved witnesses of our passage. ‘Blind’ reveals itself gradually. A matt black monolite topped with an intersected airplane stands still: it’s a reflection on historical events and death, leaving a sense of awe and exposure.

‘Breath Ghosts Blind’ will be on display at Pirelli HangarBicocca until the 20th of February 2022: join in Cattelan’s theatre piece before the curtain falls!

‘There are three pieces of art, but this is an exhibition gathering all of the obsessions, subjects, images and themes that accompanied the thirty-year-long work of Maurizio, so it’s a long journey’.