Archaeopterix Lithografica (Exhibition copy)
1993
Panamarenko
*Currently under restoration* A curious bird sits on a tree trunk. As you approach, it jumps and flaps its wings. Panamarenko said of this work, “I had received a beautiful tree trunk from the city somewhere, because they wanted a beautiful little wooden bird like this. And now there he is hopping on it. A silly chicken. It’s a toy, and in fact I only make toys, because that is the real art: the poetry of a toy. What others call real art is too much like art; that’s the problem.”
Details
- Plan number: S03
- Zone: Urban nature
- Title: Archaeopterix Lithografica (Exhibition copy)
- Creator: Panamarenko , Xavier De Clippeleir
- Date: 1993
- Material: bakelite, plexiglass
- Acquisition: purchase
- Object number: MID.B.477.B
The artist has depicted the desire of human beings to fly, and their ambition to reach for something higher. The sober conclusion is that they are unable to do so. They can only flap their wings and hop about, like this bird. The title Archaeopterix Lithographica refers to a primordial prehistoric bird: the first dinosaur with wings and feathers.
The frail “chicken” flaps his wings valiantly, but will never actually manage to fly away. Panamarenko has created a dream in which his version of a primordial prehistoric bird could escape gravity. The bird is as fake as the surrounding urban wilderness in which it is given a place.
Belgian contemporary artist Panamarenko was fascinated with science from the 1960s onward and tried to translate science into art. The ultimate goal of his machines is not utility or efficiency, but play and poetry, beauty and human imperfection.
This artwork on the map
Easily navigate to Archaeopterix Lithografica (Exhibition copy) by Panamarenko and add it to your planned route.