Lifeguard [Aira]
Date:
2019
Ref:
0935
Materials:
Stretcher bed, wooden mannequin, diverse textiles, silk, leather gloves, steel, felt, ceramic resin hands and feet
Dimensions:
120 x 200 x 177(h) cm. Plywood plinth 240 x 122 cm
Exhibition history:
2019 Museo Novencento, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy
Courtesy:
Lucy + Jorge Orta
Drawing inspiration from the basic elements: air, fire, earth, and water, ‘Lifeguard Aira’ is one of four figurative sculptures alongside Amazonia, Fuoco, and Acqua. The figures echo the mythological gods and divinities depicted in the Italian frescoes of the Sala degli Elementi of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, where they were first presented together in 2019. In the Lifeguard series, the stretcher bed acts as a signifier symbolising care and support; here the human figure is carrying and being carried simultaneously. Surrounded by an array of functional and symbolic objects that reference planet earth’s increasingly diminishing resource, the work evokes the urgent need to develop more sustainable ways of living with and protecting water, clean air, energy, and biodiversity.