Windy is an exhibition organised by Paris+ par art basel and Musee du Louvre

Meriem Bennani’s kinetic sculpture Windy (2022), presented by C L E A R I N G and co-commissioned by High Line Art and Audemars Piguet Contemporary, is on view in the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, from 17 to 22 October 2023.

Meriem Bennani

Parisian Art At Its Finest

It is one of the works of ‘La Cinquième Saison’ (The Fifth Season), a freely accessible group exhibition organised by Paris+ par Art Basel and the Musee du Louvre and curated by Annabelle Teneze, the incoming director of the Louvre Lens Museum.

Moreover, the Paris exhibition marks the second time Windy will be on view after its inaugural presentation on the High Line, New York, from June 2022 to May 2023. Co-commissioned by High Line Art and Audemars Piguet Contemporary in 2022, Windy is a motorised spinning tornado that breaks the norms of traditional static sculpture.

The Result Of Hard Work

Standing at over two meters tall, the sculpture is made from approximately 200 stacked foam disks. An electric bike motor comprises the spine of the sculpture and moves the foam layers. Marking an important phase in Bennani’s career, Windy represents her first public sculpture, and first stand-alone sculpture, where the artist’s approach to animation, video, and movement is transposed into the physical presence.

Inspired directly by the experience of being in the flow of a big city, Windy retains the artist’s signature blend of absurdist humour, misappropriation of cultural cliches and interest in animation, while demonstrating her mastery of mechanical techniques to create the impression of a cartoon-like tornado escaping from its 2D environment.

Behind The Scenes

The curators from High Line Art and Audemars Piguet Contemporary worked closely with Bennani to commission the spinning sculpture in 2022, enabling her to explore a new direction in her practice while drawing on several areas of inspiration.

Together with the other artworks presented, Windy playfully illustrates elements in nature, spotlighting the intersection of urban environments within the natural world. Through this contrast, the Jardin des Tuileries exhibition addresses how these various coexistences might live together.

More information can be found on the Official Audemars Piguet Website.