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Panamarenko's experimental flying machines modeled on the motion of birds, insects, and human craft have been greeted with wonder and acclaim since the 1960s. In his exploration of the potentially fertile relationships linking technology and nature, Panamarenko considers issues of imagination as well as function. Mixing the scientific with the artistic, the monumental Aeromodeller (1969-1971) solidified this Belgian artist's thinking and established his significant reputation. Powered by four engines, this large-scale hybrid cocoon-blimp is composed of a transparent inflatable sac and a gondola for passengers. "Orbit"" pairs Aeromodeller with a new piece titled Raven's Variable Matrix (2000), which looks to the aerodynamics of propulsion as the model for its engineering.
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| Checklist of Works |
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1. The Aeromodeller, 1969-1971
mixed media
gondola: 90 1/2 x 130 x 224 1/4 inches
balloon: 92 feet long x 17 feet diameter, holds 1000 cubic meters of air
Collection Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent
2. Raven's Variable Matrix, 2000
mixed media
65 x 143 x 200 1/2 inches
Courtesy Ronny Van de Velde, Antwerp
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| Selected Bibliography |
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Panamarenko. London: Hayward Gallery in association with Museum Jean Tinguely, Basel, 2000. With a text by Jon Thompson.
Panamarenko: La Grande exposition des soucoupes volantes. Paris: Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in association with éditions Actes Sud, Arles, 1998. With texts by Véronique Baton, Hervé Chandès, Michel Onfray, and an interview with Nicolas Bourriaud.
Panamarenko: A Book by Hans Theys. Brussels: éditions Franck Van Haecke et Isy Brachot, 1992. With a text by Hans Theys.
Panamarenko. Hannover: Kunstverein Hannover, 1991. With texts by Maria Otto and Eckhard Schneider.
Panamarenko. Paris: Galerie Isy Brachot, 1989. With a text by Wim Van Mulders.
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| Biography |
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Panamarenko was born in 1940 in Antwerp, where he still lives and works. He attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the same city from 1955-1960. Since his first solo show at the Wide White Space Gallery in Antwerp in 1966, Panamarenko has exhibited widely in Europe and Japan. Among numerous group shows, he was included in Documenta V (1972), VI (1977), and IX (1992), the Third Biennial of Sydney (1979), the São Paolo Biennial (1983), and in the Venice biennials in 1976 and 1990.
In recent years, retrospective exhibitions of Panamarenko's work have been presented at the National Museum of Osaka (1992), the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris (1998), and at the Hayward Gallery, London (2000).
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| Funding |
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Funding for this exhibition has been provided by the members of the Dia Art Council.
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