Upon entering the Nave of the Pirelli HangarBicocca at the right moment – during the exhibition of Jean Tinguely, characterized by clamor and cacophony – you are welcomed by the movement of the massive gears on display; if only silence is heard, the assembly line is about to be activated. The exhibition project, curated by Camille Morineau, Lucia Pesapane, and Vicente Todolí, which is open until February 2 in the industrial spaces of HangarBicocca, evokes the atmosphere of Tinguely’s last studio in Fribourg. The kinetic sculptures, composed of raw materials including scraps and motors, create an environment that reflects the productive spirit of the building, while the layout, although not following a strictly chronological order, allows visitors to trace the evolution of Tinguely’s thought. Two elements are indivisible in the practice of the Swiss artist: mechanical disorder and audience participation, which activates, perceives and listens.
Jean Tinguely, “Méta-Maxi”, 1986. Installation view, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano, 2024. On loan from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection. Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano. Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024. Photo Agostino Osio
Tinguely’s interest in mechanical movement has its roots in the duchampian legacy. Regarding Duchamp’s Large Glass, Octavio Paz wrote: «The Large Glass is the design of a device […] In fact, the composition should have three parts: one plastic, one literary, and one sonic[1]». Tinguely’s works seem to mirror this composition with some differences: the plastic form becomes monumental, while the sonic element, inaudible in Duchamp’s work, is no longer negligible. Furthermore, Duchamp never produced a reflection on consumerism – having not experienced it directly during his productive period – unlike Tinguely, who expresses clear dissent towards productivism, which is both a direct cause and consequence of his work. His sculptures move aimlessly, challenging the function of the machine. A striking example of this is Meta-Matic No. 10 (1959), a device that, when a token is inserted, generates abstract drawings on paper. This act subverts the concept of artistic creation, shifting it from the human subject to the machine. This operation came two years after the first rolls of paint sold by the meter by Pinot Gallizio, suggesting a democratization of the artistic process, but also a critique of the commodification of art.
Jean Tinguely, “Méta-Matic No. 10”, 1959, Replica (2024). Installation view Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano, 2024. Museum Tinguely, Basel. A cultural commitment of Roche. Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano. Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024. Foto Agostino Osio
Another inspiration source for Tinguely was Alexander Calder, whose aesthetics are clearly reflected in works such as Métà-Herbin (1955) and Méta-Matic No. 10. These share with Calder’s mobiles and stabiles dynamic and lightweight forms, but they also evoke his monumental sculptures, of which they are seemingly miniature and interactive versions.
Jean Tinguely, installation view, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano, 2024. Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano. Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024. Photo Agostino Osio
Tinguely’s kinetic machines are generating agents, not only of new art but also of speculations. In the two series of works on display, Philosophers (1988) and 8 Philosophers (1989), the artist translates great philosophers into dynamic sculptural forms. Tinguely creates representations dedicated to figures such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Pjotr Kropotkin, Friedrich Engels, Martin Heidegger, and Henri Bergson. In 8 Philosophers, thinking becomes collective: eight philosophers are gathered on a mechanical platform, each associated with a playful and ironic title, such as Nietzsche Thinks Intensely and Plato in Action, an image that separates the philosopher from his noetic world to make it concrete and tangible.
Jean Tinguely, “L’Odalisque”, 1989. Installation view, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano, 2024. Bischofberger Collection, Männedorf-Zurich, Switzerland. Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano. Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024. Photo Agostino Osio
Tinguely’s work is, therefore, a generator of thought, thanks to its ability to materialize despite lacking a function. This possibility is derived from its immanent qualities, traceable in the technology applied to the artistic field, with the awareness that the machine does not require a narrative construction but possesses its own intrinsic poetics.
Mattia Caggiano
[1] Octavio Paz, Apparenza nuda. L’opera di Marcel Duchamp, Abscondita, 2000, p. 55.
Info:
Jean Tinguely
10/10/2024 – 02/022025
Curators: Camille Morineau, Lucia Pesapane e Vicente Todolí with Fiammetta Griccioli
Pirelli HangarBicocca
Via Chiese, 2 – Milano
www.pirellihangarbicocca.org
Mattia Caggiano (Asti, 1999) is a young art critic and theorist, currently based in Venice and Torino. His work focuses on themes related to environmental installation and the interaction between the artwork and its surrounding context. Through an approach rich in disciplinary crossovers, he explores the aesthetic dynamics and dialogues that emerge between art, environment, and experience, contributing to a deeper understanding of the contemporary landscape via long-term research presented in essays and publications.
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