The work is edited by Galleria del Deposito, Genoa. Galleria del Deposito was founded in 1963 as an international cooperative of artists by painter Eugenio Carmi and included Soto among its members, together with Lucio Fontana, Victor Vasarely and Max Bill. The purpose of the gallery was to produce and spread works of art, especially limited editions, which could reach a huge number of people thanks to their affordability, though unconventional sales channels as malls. Soto had a solo show at Galleria del Deposito in 1966 and this work was realised on that occasion.
Discover the video of the artwork (right-click on the link and select “open link in another browser window”) https://youtube.com/shorts/S9QquvksiGI
In this work by Jesus Rafael Soto, we see a monochrome black surface on which is applied another smaller surface covered with very thin vertical lines, so close together that from a distance they appear to be a single entity. At the top, inserted into a hole, is a metal rod that supports another rod hanging from a wire. In this way, the work changes continuously, because with every breath of air, the hanging rod moves, casting an ever-changing shadow.
Soto, a pioneer of kinetic art, was interested in conveying movement in his works, thus demonstrating that the relationship between reality and illusion is dynamic and that sometimes the two actually become one and the same. That the work only exists when viewed from multiple angles, and that therefore the observer’s eye is part of the work. Going even further, there are the Penetrables, consisting of thin rubber threads hanging from above, creating a shape that appears compact from a distance but is actually penetrable by viewers, who can enter them, thus making them move and come to life. Soto demonstrated that there are no spectators, only participants in an experience that without them would have no meaning or might not exist at all.