Otto Piene (1928-2014) pursued ambitious goals with his art: Not only did he literally extend his artistic scope to the heavens with floating sky art and media projections, his works were also intended to contribute to a more harmonious, peaceful and sustainable world.
Structured thematically, the monographic exhibition Otto Piene. Paths to Paradise traces the artist's vision through the most important projects and series of works in his oeuvre. Works of different media genres are in dialog with each other and in particular with his constant practice of sketching and drawing. The concepts of drawing and design are central to this, both in the narrower and broader sense, literally and figuratively, as a means of his visionary artistic practice, in which he also drew on new media and the latest technological developments.
Otto Piene, Inflation trial for OLYMPIC RAINBOW, 1972, St. Paul, MN, USA, August 1, 1972 © 2023/2024 Pro Litteris, Zurich; Otto Piene Estate Photo: Jean Nelson, Otto Piene Archive
In its cross-media perspective, the exhibition brings together the two periods of his oeuvre, which are often viewed separately, and offers a multi-layered reading of his oeuvre. The presentation - including several immersive installations and rarely shown works - invites visitors to rediscover Otto Piene's art beyond a critique of naïve enthusiasm for technology or romantic idealism as a transformative tool that expands our imagination in an increasingly uncertain world.
February 7 to May 12, 2024
www.tinguely.ch
