Untitled 1979

Editor: This is an untitled mixed-media installation by Jannis Kounellis from 1979. It seems to me a stark depiction of a cityscape, but the dark squares on the right-hand side, combined with the birds pierced by what looks like arrows, evoke a sense of disquiet. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Focusing on the formal elements, note the interplay between the two-dimensional graphite drawing and the three-dimensional elements of the birds and whatever the arrows are composed of, seemingly organic. The linear quality of the drawing, almost schematic in its representation of buildings, is abruptly juxtaposed with the densely filled, almost visceral rectangles to the right. Observe the contrast – the clarity of line against the amorphous quality of the charcoal fields. How does that structural opposition function, do you think? Editor: I suppose it creates a visual tension? The loose graphite rendering of the architecture is clear, then interrupted with densely shaded rectangles, whose textural marks look almost accidental. The birds are more literal insertions that feel jarring too. Curator: Precisely. Kounellis frequently employed unconventional materials and spatial arrangements. Notice how the geometry relates – the perspectival lines established by the architecture continue through to the panels. The artist creates an integrated whole that simultaneously welcomes and repels a consistent reading, or thematics for interpretation. Editor: So, by looking at the structural devices Kounellis used, we can read tension into his spatial installation, without feeling bound by a clear narrative? I've learned a lot today by exploring the relationship between the techniques and their meaning. Curator: Indeed. That close analysis reveals how seemingly disparate elements contribute to a unified aesthetic impact and conceptual meaning within the frame of conceptual practices.