The installation "The Seven Heavenly Palaces", 2004-2015, was created for the Pirelli Hangar Bicocca on the occasion of its opening in 2004. With the title, Kiefer refers to the Jewish 'Sefer Hechalot' - the 'Book of Palaces'.
The seven towers – each of which weighs 90 tons and rises to heights varying between 14 and 18 meters – were created from reinforced concrete using the angular construction modules of shipping containers. The artist has inserted, between the various levels of each tower, lead books and wedges which, compressing beneath the weight of the concrete, further guarantee the static nature of the structure.
More than mere functional value, for Kiefer the use of this metal has symbolic meaning: in fact, lead is traditionally considered the material of melancholy. “The Seven Heavenly Palaces” represents a point of arrival for Kiefer’s entire artistic production, synthesizing his principle themes and projecting them into a new, timeless dimension: they contain an interpretation of ancient Hebrew religion; representation of the ruins of Western Civilization following the Second World War; and projections into a possible future through which the artist invites us to face the present.
Anselm Kiefer „THE SEVEN HEAVENLY PALACES 2004 - 2015"
Permanent installation
Pirelli HangarBicocca
Via Chiese 2
20126 Milano
