This didactic content will help visitors understand and visualize some of Anselmo’s lifelong concerns around some invisible energies and processes like Orientation, Gravity, Transformation, Time, or Space evoked by some of the artworks in the exhibition. By his choice of materials and singular staging, Anselmo’s production intends to help us become aware of the different forces and processes we witness or experience daily, even if we do not perceive them.

GRAVITY
On a macroscopic scale, gravity’s force is what makes planets orbit around the Sun, and in the case of Earth, it enables life in our planet. In a more humble scale, gravity force on Earth is what causes things to fall to the ground and determines our movements on the surface of our planet keeping us grounded.

Did you know that gravity is what holds our atmosphere?

TRANSFORMATION
Anthracite is the result of a very slow transformation process. What millions of years ago was organic life, after being subjected to high pressure and temperatures, and light-deprivation for so long, is compacted, and hardened over time and transformed into rock. Through this material Giovanni Anselmo invites us to reflect on the passing of time and the imperceptible daily changes we experience. Observe the microhabitat in the nearby display case and imagine the gradual transformation it will undergo over time.

Did you know that our bodies are in constant transformation, and that all our cells are replaced every seven years?

SPACE
Ultramarine blue was the name given to the deep blue hue due to its distant provenance from far away countries or “overseas”. Originally, the color was made from ground lapis lazuli stone that was sourced from northern Afghanistan. In Anselmo’s artworks ultramarine pigment alludes to an infinite view of the world, connecting us to what’s beyond.

Did you know that during the Renaissance ultramarine pigment was more expensive than gold?

ORIENTATION
With the aid of a compass we can visualize, what otherwise would be invisible and imperceptible: magnetic force. Magnetism can trespass the physical barriers of any room, gallery, or enclosed space, so even if you are indoors, you can still find the north. In the nearby display case, thanks to the use of iron powder you can see a line generated by the magnet.

¿Did you know that homing pigeons find their way back thanks to their ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic fields?