Juan Muñoz. Double Bind & Around

Curated by Vicente Todolí

Double Bind (2001) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

Double Bind & Around

“Double Bind & Around” is the first solo exhibition in Italy dedicated to Juan Muñoz, curated by Vicente Todolí. The artist, who died in 2001, was one of the leading exponents of European sculpture of the last two decades of the 20th century. 

Double Bind (2001) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

On the occasion of the exhibition, Pirelli HangarBicocca is showing his most important work, “Double Bind”, which was made in 2001 for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern in London and never exhibited to the public afterwards.

Many Times (detail) (1999) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

The exhibition also includes some of his most significant works, including “The Wasteland” and “Many Times”, making this an important opportunity to grasp the work of a great artist who reinterpreted the tradition of classic sculpture on the basis of 20th century avant-gardes. Mainly known for his sculptures in papier maché, resin and bronze, Juan Muñoz often took an interest in writing and in sound art, creating audio pieces and compositions for the radio.

The Wasteland (1986) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

Conversation Piece, Dublin (1994) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

The art of Juan Muñoz (1953-2001) reintroduces human figure at the center of architectonical and sculptural space. Puppets, acrobats, ventriloquists, dwarfs and ballerinas are but some of the characters that inhabit his works, alongside anonymous orient-looking figures, whose presence recalls ambiguous and contradictive scenarios.

“Double Bind & Around” (2015) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

Conversation Piece (1996) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

Ventriloquist Looking at a Double Interior (1988-2000) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

Many museums have dedicated great retrospective exhibitions of his works. These include the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Washington DC (2001), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2002), The Art Institute of Chicago (2002), the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston (2003), the Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble (2007), Tate Modern, London (2008) and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2009). 

Double Bind (2001) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

In 2017 the installation “Double Bind” was reconstructed and permanently presented for Fundació Sorigué’s project PLANTA, located in La Plana del Corb industrial complex in Balaguer, in Catalonia.

Double Bind (2001) by Juan MuñozPirelli HangarBicocca

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