self-portrait by maurizio cattelan hangs in the massimo de carlo bathroom

maurizio cattelan takes on death

the ever-controversial sculptor and performance artist maurizio cattelan takes on death with YOU, a self-portrait at milan’s massimo de carlo gallery. the work depicts the artist hanging by a noose within an opulent bathroom of green marble, with a friendly bouquet of flowers in hand.

the piece is said to reflect on ‘love, friendship, affection, power, loss and defeat,’ all instinctual human instincts rendered in a way that is shocking and unexpected. as visitors meander through the gallery, the hanging sculpture is discovered gradually and from a distance. it appears quietly into view beyond a series of open thresholds, inviting the cautious viewer to approach.

installation views by roberto marossi, courtesy massimo de carlo

a portrait of love and defeat at massimo de carlo

maurizio cattelan hangs his self-portrait YOU at massimo de carlo’s casa corbellini-wassermann exhibition space (see here) in milan. the gallery describes the installation: ‘YOU is a hallucination, a simultaneous image of control and failure. a generous welcoming gesture or a sad and inevitable farewell, YOU explores the role of the individual in the collective realm: an admission of surrender, or perhaps an affirmation of kindness.

‘this new intervention by maurizio cattelan affirms the death of great powers, while infusing a new energy in the strength of the individual. despite trying to create a distance between the work and the viewer, maurizio cattelan’s YOU is certainly all about us.’

the hanging portrait quietly appears from a distance

the installation YOU by maurizio cattelan has just appeared within massimo de carlo gallery on march 28th, just in time for the beginning of milan art week (see more here) which runs from april 1st — 3rd. while the sculpture was installed in time for the city’s annual art fair, it will run until june 2022.

a friendly bouquet of flowers are held in hand