LEONOR ANTUNES
Lisbon, Portugal, 1972
Random intersection #14, 2017
Leather and hemp rope
Variable dimensions

Leonor Antunes’s work conceptually draws upon the heritage of Minimal and Conceptual art. Her sculptural interventions are site specific, normally inserting sculptural elements in the exhibition space, using it both as a venue and as an essential component of her work. She takes her cue from the unique characteristics of each space, which therefore determine the final form of her installations. In that sense, her work bears a certain ephemeral quality, insofar as its form evolves each time it is re-installed: the same sculptures take on a different guise, as she (re)contextualizes them with rope, flooring elements, wood frames and/or floor lighting.

The shapes and materials she uses make clear references to twentieth-century design, often inspired by the work of architects, designers and artists, and emblematic projects they worked on; many of the figures whose work she formally quotes have somehow been forgotten or overlooked. She also has a keen interest in craftsmanship and the traditional way of handling materials, and for that reason she often collaborates with artisans to produce her work. This also informs the choice of material she uses, such as metal, wood, leather or hemp. For instance, her rope structures are derived from traditional hand-woven fishing nets.

Initiated in 2007, Random Intersection is an ongoing series of works made of leather elements, whose design refers directly to horse bridles, and are inspired by collages made by Italian architect Carlo Molino as preparatory work for his plans for the Turin Horse Club, a famous building that was then destroyed. These harnesses of sorts are assembled so as to form a fluid hanging structure, and then augmented and connected to the space with an intricate network of hemp rope, creating a kind of ghostly presence in the space, in contrast with the density of the surrounding architecture.