Ernesto Neto makes large-scale installations. The Brazilian artist invites viewers to explore these works using all of their senses. He installed his massive anthropodino inside the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. Built in the 1870s, the Armory originally housed a local branch of the National Guard. Neto created anthropodino in the drill hall, which is in the center of the Armory and has 55,000 square feet of floor space and a ceiling height of 80 feet.
The title anthropodino is a play on the words anthropology and dinosaur. Anthropology is the study of cultures across time. Neto travels frequently and sees himself as an amateur anthropologist. “The anthropologist tries to find a structure for society,” he says. And as a sculptor, he thinks about how to build or find structure for a sculpture and “how to put humanity in it.” With anthropodino, Neto says, he is exploring “the animal that exists in us—the monster, the dinosaur, the imaginary.”
On May 14, 2009, anthropodino opened to the public and ran for one month. In that brief time, more than 30,000 people experienced the interactive sculpture through sight, sound, touch, and smell.
Ernesto Neto is a Brazilian artist. He creates installations that people move around and walk through. They explore his work using their senses. In 2009, he made a large-scale artwork in the center of the Park Avenue Armory in New York City, shown right. The Armory was built in the 1870s. It originally housed a local branch of the National Guard, which is a branch of the military. The center room has 55,000 square feet of floor space and ceilings 80 feet high!
Neto titled his installation anthropodino. He plays with the words anthropology and dinosaur in the title. Anthropology is the study of cultures over time. Neto says anthropodino explores “the animal that exists within us—the monster, the dinosaur, the imaginary.”
On May 14, 2009, anthropodino opened for one month. More than 30,000 people interacted with the work through sight, sound, touch, and smell.