tomás saraceno takes over the shed with sensory set up in largest US exhibition up to now

tomás saraceno: particular matter(s)

from february 11 to april 17, 2022, the shed presents ‘tomás saraceno: particular matter(s)’, the artist’s largest US exhibition to date. a highlight of the show is ‘free the air: how to hear the universe in a spider/web’ , a 95-foot-diameter (29-meter) sensory installation commissioned by the shed that will fill the arts center’s soaring mccourt space. additionally, an expansive survey exhibition of the artist’s works and projects will occupy the level two and level four galleries of the shed. saraceno’s artistic practice encompasses floating sculptures, interactive installations and extensive research focused on environmental justice, as evident in projects such as aerocene and arachnophilia. his process is informed by the various perspectives of human and nonhuman lifeforms that have been disregarded, such as the air, spiders and their webs, and communities impacted by inequitable environmental policies and practices.

‘at the heart of tomás saraceno’s work is a new way of inhabiting and experiencing the world, one that centers on an ecologically post-fossil fuels future,’ says emma enderby, the shed’s curator-at-large. ‘tomás presents the necessity to reevaluate how we perceive and operate in theworld and what to expect from it, which he achieves through interconnected, nonhierarchical collaborations across the human and nonhuman. the air and the particles that define it, spiders and their webs, and our visitors are all protagonists in particular matter(s) at the shed.’

tomás saraceno, collage towards free the air: how to hear the universe in a spider/web, 2022, courtesy the artist

saraceno’s monumental sculpture debuts at the shed

bringing together new and recent work, ‘particular matter(s)’ builds upon tomás saraceno’s platforms and projects that invite visitors to deeply understand and celebrate the radical interconnectedness of all things. for more than a decade, the artist has been imagining a world free from borders and fossil fuels. his work addresses environmental racism and justice, envisions alternative ways of engaging with earth’s atmosphere, and deepens an understanding of interspecies cohabitation and communication. for his shed commission, saraceno is creating a monumental sculpture, ‘free the air: how to hear the universe in a spider/web’, which will debut inside the 17,000-square-foot mccourt space. the installation will house an orchestrated sensory experience—a concert of vibrations emitted by the movement of particles in the air and spider’s entangled terrestrial and cosmic webs. this woven ensemble is composed of and performed by arachnid players, spider diviners, and atmospheric and cosmic matters, captured via recording devices in collaboration with the arachnophilia community and amplified in the installation.

‘this will be tomás saraceno’s first major survey exhibition in the united states, a multidisciplinary exhibition that showcases saraceno’s visionary, decades-long practice, dedicated to imagining sustainable futures amid our worsening global climate emergency,’ notes alex poots, the shed’s artistic director and CEO. ‘spanning three-quarters of our building, saraceno’s exhibition explores ways of witnessing the environment through ecology, interspecies communication, and environmental justice. we very much look forward to welcoming audiences to experience this new show.’

tomás saraceno, collage towards free the air: how to hear the universe in a spider/web, 2022, courtesy the artist

courtesy the artist

tomás saraceno, printed matter(s), 2018, courtesy the artist; andersen’s, copenhagen; ruth benzacar, buenos aires; tanya bonakdar gallery, new york/los angeles; pinksummer contemporary art, genoa; neugerriemschneider, berlin

tomás saraceno, spider/web pavillion, 2019, la biennale di venezia: ‘may you live in interesting times.’, courtesy the artist; andersen’s, copenhagen; ruth benzacar, buenos aires; tanya bonakdar gallery, new york/los angeles; pinksummer contemporary art, genoa; neugerriemschneider, berlin

tomás saraceno, we do not all breathe the same air (detail), 2019-2022, with special thanks to harriet washington and the shed. courtesy the artist; andersen’s, copenhagen; ruth benzacar, buenos aires; tanya bonakdar gallery, new york/los angeles; pinksummer contemporary art, genoa; neugerriemschneider, berlin