Monica Bonvicini: All The World’s Futures: La Biennale di Venezia, 56. Esposizione Internationale d’Arte, Venice

The works in Monica Bonvicini's Latent Combustion series are bouquet-like compositions of chainsaws, covered in black polyurethane plastic. These works follow the line, iterated in other sculptures and installations of Bonvicini, in which various working tools as ready-made objects get repurposed, reshaped and remodelled. Quite often these tools relate to the professions usually perceived as ‘manly.’ A chain- saw delivers meanings of destruction, environmental damage, and technological violence. The title Latent Combustion indicates the explosive processes of burning fuel inside the chainsaw motors, which appear to be shielded within the layer of black polyurethane. The work examines complex relations between politics and psychology, labour and gender, male dominance and industry.

Images:

Courtesy of the artist
© Monica Bonvicini and VG-Bildkunst, Bonn 2022, Photo: Matteo da Fina