![Reinhard Mucha, Island of the Blessed, [2024] 2016, 2-part in-situ sculptural room installation. Island of the Blessed, 2016, Overlapping clay roof tiles, construction rubble (found objects), white pedestal, steel tape measure, 6 step stools, 6 float glass panes, audio equipment (sound track of starting airplanes), 47.2 x 480.3 x 496 inches (120 x 1220 x 1260 cm). Ostende – Kölner Straße 170, 2006, 2014, Paper tape, UV-protection glass, museum board, archival pigment print, 15.67 x 20.67 x 0.71 inches (39.8 x 52.5 x 1.8 cm). Courtesy of Galleria Lia Rumma, Milan/Naples. Photo: Agostino Osio.](https://img.artlogic.net/w_1000,h_1000,c_limit/exhibit-e/556d89b2cfaf3421548b4568/1a96d91a09c65e1bd71b4c7e828d9c87.jpeg)
Reinhard Mucha
Lia Rumma, Galerie Bärbel Grässlin, Luhring Augustine, and Sprüth Magers are delighted to announce a joint presentation of Reinhard Mucha's Island of the Blessed for Unlimited at Art Basel 2024.
Island of the Blessed, is the ironic title of this a two-part, in-situ sculptural room installation, conceived by Reinhard Mucha for his 2016 show Schneller werden ohne Zeitverlust at Lia Rumma Gallery in Milan. Drawing inspiration from Salvatore Settis’s influential book If Venice Dies, Mucha reflects on the degradation of historical urban landscapes: "Milan’s metamorphosis into an American-style downtown, where the urban center becomes instantly recognizable by virtue of a cluster of skyscrapers – like in Los Angeles – is not the belated triumph of modernity, but merely a façade." The installation delves into the role of memory, offering profound reflections examining our urban reality. Central to this monumental, poetic work is the ambient sound of aircraft taking off over the sea of houses (of Milan) symbolized by the waves of 5,000 Mediterranean roof tiles.
To learn more about the exhibition platform, please visit the Art Basel website.