Arcangelo Sassolino

Born 1967 in Vicenza, Italy, where he lives and works

Speed, pressure, gravity, acceleration, and heat are at the core of Arcangelo Sassolino’s artistic practice, which aims at pushing the ultimate limits of matter’s resistance. His artworks result from close dialogues between physics, mechanics, and technology, creating performative devices that generate situations of tension, suspension, unpredictability, and even danger. Sassolino’s practice enlivens industrial materials to reveal contrasts and opposing forces, often threatening collapse. He represented Malta at the 59th La Biennale di Venezia (2022) and has had solo exhibitions at Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis (2016); Frankfurter Kunstverein (2016); MACRO, Rome (2011); Z33, Hasselt (2010); and Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2008).  

Memory of Becoming

In this installation, a large steel disk rotates slowly and perpetually, visualizing the delicate balance of life’s forces and the inevitability of transformation. Coated with a highly viscous industrial oil, the disk orchestrates a precarious dance between stability and collapse, with the oil moving due to the motion and force of gravity, eventually dripping at irregular intervals. 

The work is perceived by the audience through the reflective characteristics of industrial oil, whose surface is reminiscent of a turbulent sea. Additionally, the blackness of the oil signifies that the color is absorbed by light but also stands for the opposite of it—a metaphor for life’s continuous shifts.

It embodies the struggle against inevitable decay, while also being a monument to the impermanence that underlies all creation. The viewer is drawn into a state of anticipation, aware that any disruption could precipitate a dramatic dissolution.