Metrocubo d’infinito by Michelangelo Pistoletto
Bourse de Commerce, Paris
Metrocubo d’infinito by Michelangelo Pistoletto
Bourse de Commerce, Paris
Performance
October 16, 2024
Introduction
On the occasion of the Arte Povera exhibition, Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection and Magma Journal presented an exceptional performance by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto.
A central figure in contemporary art since the 1960s and a founding member of the Arte Povera movement, Michelangelo Pistoletto is renowned for his mirror paintings. In the Bourse de Commerce Auditorium, the artist offered a unique performance centered around the work Metrocubo d’infinito, featured in the exhibition in Gallery 3, and part of the Oggetti in meno (Minus Objects), pieces displayed in his studio between December 1965 and January 1966.
In an unassuming, seemingly modest one-cubic-meter structure lies boundless infinity. A neutral sculpture made of six inward-facing, bound mirrors, whose infinite reflections can only be imagined, Metrocubo d’Infinito encapsulates Michelangelo Pistoletto’s exploration of the physical potential of mirrors and their mystical implications.
The performance was followed by a conversation between Michelangelo Pistoletto and Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the exhibition’s curator.
Performance
In some performances, Michelangelo Pistoletto has shattered mirrors following the scientific principle that a fragment of a mirror retains the same properties as a larger mirror, which in turn has the same properties as an even larger mirror, and so on. This is similar to the behavior of fractals, which maintain the same characteristics at any scale.
The Metrocubo d’infinito performance is emblematic of Pistoletto’s work. It has only taken place five times: in Warsaw (1993), Munich (1994), Paris (1994), and at the Louvre in 2013.
“Metrocubo d’infinito" by Michelangelo Pistoletto at Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection on October 16th 2024
Performance by Michelangelo Pistoletto
Discussion led by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
At Bourse de Commerce, Paris: Cyrus Goberville
Artistic and Curatorial Direction Paul Olivennes
Associate Curator Laura Salas Redondo
Presented in collaboration with Magma Journal
Editorial Paul Olivennes, Boris Bergmann, Laura Salas Redondo
Scenography Matière Noire