Selbstzerstörende kinetische Skulptur

source: strozzinaorg

Arcangelo Sassolino (1967, Vicenza, where he lives and works) creates works of art focusing on the interaction between a variety of different forces and materials, often of an industrial nature. After initially enrolling at the faculty of engineering at the University of Padua, following an opportunity to attend a seminar in New York for the CASIO company, for two years—between 1993 and 1995—he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York. It was from this course of studies that Sassolino’s art emerged, with works based on the fusion of art and physics. Noteworthy among the artist’s monographic exhibitions are Concrete Matters at the Galleria Grossetti in Milan, held in 2001, and Rimozione, staged at the Galleria Arte e Ricambi in Verona. Momento, realized in the spaces of the Galleria Galica, Milan, dates from 2006. The solo show at the Galerie Nicola von Senger in Zurich was set up in 2007, while in 2008 Critical Mass was held at the Galerie Feinkost in Berlin and Afasia at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. In 2010 he set up personal exhibitions such as Qui e Ora, at the Galleria Continua of San Gimignano, and Time Tomb, an installation created for the Z33 House for Contemporary Art at Hasselt in Belgium. In 2011 he produced Piccolo Animismo for the Museo di Arte Contemporanea (MACRO) in Rome, and in 2012 he participated at the Art and the City art festival in Zurich. Sassolino has taken part in numerous collective exhibitions: (2001) Materia–Niente, Fondazione Bevilacqua la Masa, Venice; (2002) Autonomie, Galleria Grossetti, Milan; (2003) Mito-logica-mente, Castelbasso, Teramo; N–E, Fondazione O’Artoteca, Milan; (2004) Zilch, Associazione Culturale Arte e Ricambi, Verona; AAVV: 30, Galleria Fumagalli, Bergamo; (2005) Arte Oggi – Premio Agenore Fabbri, Göppingen Kunsthalle, Göppingen; Orange!, Galleria Galica, Milan; Il disegno della scultura contemporanea da Fontana a Paladino, Palazzo Binelli, Carrara; Per esempio. Arte contemporanea italiana dalla Collezione UniCredit, Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto (MART); (2007) What You See Is What You Guess, Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain (FRAC), Rheims; (2008) Visionary Collection Vol. 6, Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich; Disarming Matter, Dunkers Kulturus, Helsingborg; (2009) Themes and Variations, Collezione Peggy Guggenheim, Venice; Sleeper, Brown, London; Zweckgemeinschafft, Mica Moca, Berlin; Italian Open!, Annet Gelink Gallery, Amsterdam; (2010) As Soon As Possible, Strozzina Centro di Cultura Contemporanea a Palazzo Strozzi, Florence; Videodrome, Autocenter, Berlin; Under Construction, Museum Tinguely, Basel; (2011) Broken Fall (Organic), Galleria Enrico Astuni, Bologna; Under Destruction II, Swiss Institute, New York; Artisti d’Italia, Ex chiesa della Madonna del Duomo, Arezzo; Percorsi riscoperti dell’arte italiana nella VAF–Stiftung 1947–2010, MART, Trento.
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source: galicait

Arcangelo Sassolino (1967) vive e lavora a Vicenza. Prima di frequentare la “School of Visual Art”di New York (1990-1995) ha lavorato alla Casio a New York (1992-95). Come artista continua a lavorare con materiali industriali come il cemento e l’acciaio con i quali realizza sculture e progetti architettonici.
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source: chenniehuan

The other piece that caught my eye is this one also named Untitled produced in the same year as the last one in 2007 by Arcangelo Sassolino. This piece of machinery looks a bit more engineered and sophisticated to me than the last one, nonetheless they each serve their own concepts and purpose amicably well. From what I read, this is a hydraulic arm that slowly and gradually destroys a large block of solid wood. Unfortunately, on the night of the opening this piece was not in its usual operational state, however by observing its physical make-up I could imagine the power of this massive machinery. Again, there is this undeniable absurdity in creating such a complex contraption for the purpose of destroying pieces of wood, at the same time it points to us the absurdity in life that many things are created and built without any specific purpose or meaning but only for indulging our need of sheer visual pleasure, visceral gratification or to achieve some commercial and economic means.