Five immersive audiovisual installations by Swiss artist Zimoun were unveiled at New York University Abu Dhabi Art Gallery this week. They include a brand-new commission called 510 Prepared DC-Motors, 2142 m Rope, Wooden Sticks 20 cm, which fills the entire central gallery space.
Look through the gallery above to see more of the work.
It’s surrounded by four more site-specific works and sculptures, including one of Zimoun’s signature pieces – a 10-metre-tall tower of cardboard boxes in which cotton balls create a deep rumble within – that has been adapted for numerous venues around the world. It took the artist and his studio team two weeks to install the exhibition.
“During my time here installing this show, I spent the weekend in the desert,” says Zimoun. “I was struck by its quality of silence. When it is that silent, it changes how we listen. That kind of listening, as if listening to silence, is in fact what my own work is about.”
NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery’s chief curator, Maya Allison, says watching Zimoun work has “energised” her. “[It’s] deepened my understanding of the architectural and sonic qualities of his work.” The installations are at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery until June 1, and it’s free for the public to see.
