4 September 2012 -
11 August 2013
Gallery 2

+ Share

Over the past 45 years, Italian artist Giuseppe Penone has examined our relationship to nature. For the latest Bloomberg Commission, he has created a twelve metre bronze cast of a tree, with a radiant gold-leaf interior, which spreads across the columned gallery.

In 1969 Giuseppe Penone (b. 1947) covered a tree in a thin layer of wax calling this seemingly simple, yet complex reflection on the passing of time All the Years of the tree plus one. He now recalls this poetic action by casting a layer of wax in bronze to spectacular result.

At first sight Spazio di Luce (Space of Light), could easily be mistaken for the straightforward life-size cast of a large larch tree. However, where once there was a tree now there is a void. The inside of the cast replicates in minute detail the tree’s bark while the finger prints on the outside safeguard the memory of the many hands involved in the sculpture’s making. The gleaming gold inside the tree pays tribute to the life-giving forces of light.

At the same time, the fusion of bark and hand prints alludes to the inseparable bond between humankind and nature. Penone was part of the legendary group of Arte Povera, which called for a radical rethink of society through making works directly appealing to the senses and challenging common conventions of artmaking.

The installation is accompanied by a yearlong programme of talks and events exploring the rich relationship between nature and the city.

Admission Free

Read more about the exhibition (pdf)
Read more about the Giuseppe Penone archive display (pdf)
Click here to buy a copy of the Giuseppe Penone catalogue

Giuseppe Penone Spring Events Programme

7 May Talk: Michael Craig-Martin: To Make a Tree
18 May Film: Screening Nature
25 May Urban Ecology Tree Trail
30 May Film: Places of Work: Creativity and Place
6 June First Thursday Folklore
7 June Discussion: The Botanical Imagination 
27 June Talk: Charles Avery: To Make a Tree

Supported by:

The Bloomberg Commission invites an international artist to create an annual site-specific artwork inspired by the rich history of the former library. Bloomberg’s support reflects its commitment to innovation, and its ongoing efforts to expand access to art, science and the humanities.

Additional support provided by the Wingate Scholarships.

Images: The Bloomberg Commission: Giuseppe Penone, Whitechapel Gallery, Installation View. Photo: David Parry / PA Wire