Installation view, Ugo Rondinone, “BURN TO SHINE,” Fosun Foundation, Shanghai, 08 November 2023 – 01 January 2024 © Ugo Rondinone. Courtesy of studio rondinone and FOSUN Foundation; Sadie Coles HQ, London; Gladstone, New York; Kukje Gallery, Seoul; Mennour, Paris; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zürich; Esther Schipper, Berlin.
By Li Qi
A beat—compact, persistent, and full of life—emanates from the depths of darkness. Interwoven with flickering light, it beckons the inquisitive mind on a journey into the unknown. Thus the Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s exhibition at the Fosun Foundation captivates visitors through sound, with this acoustic overture setting the stage for the film burn to shine—the pulsing heart of a selection of works made over the past four years, which now converges with the eponymous exhibition.
The evocative title, burn to shine, hails from a poem “You must burn to shine” by Rondinone’s late partner, John Giorno. While this phrase likely traces its roots to the Sanskrit word तप् (tap) meaning “to shine; to be burnt”, in a broader sense, it gestures towards the path to liberation through bodily penance known as तपस् (tapas), a meditative and self-disciplinary Buddhist practice. Yet Rondinone’s film does not dwell on suffering; instead, it pulsates with fervent celebration. Orchestrated by Franco-Moroccan choreographer Fouad Boussouf and brought to life by percussionists and dancers, the film references a panoply of spiritual rituals; prevalent across cultures, these practices resonate with myths of regeneration through fire. In the synchronised video projection in the exhibition, the six monumental screens form an enveloping circle, which is augmented by darkened window foils that occlude external views, thereby creating a sanctuary that nurtures a meditative experience.
While burn to shine portrays the cyclical motion of sunrise and sunset in an infinite loop, this motif is also echoed in the Mattituck series, inspired by the Long Island locale where Rondinone has a home and studio. These fourteen paintings, spaced evenly apart, evoke the face of a sundial, representing the perpetual dance of the sun and the moon. Each painting captures, through a triad of harmonious or contrasting hues, a moment of natural phenomena, their dimensions intimate and reminiscent of a personal journal: imbued with a gentle melancholy, the paintings offer reflections on the passage of time. Varying in size, they are aligned along the walls at the horizon line—where painted skies touch the sea.
Installation view, Ugo Rondinone,“BURN TO SHINE,” Fosun Foundation, Shanghai, 08 November 2023 – 01 January 2024 © Ugo Rondinone. Courtesy of studio rondinone and FOSUN Foundation; Sadie Coles HQ, London; Gladstone, New York; Kukje Gallery, Seoul; Mennour, Paris; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zürich; Esther Schipper, Berlin.
This horizon extends even to the horses sculptures that inhabit the gallery floor. Appearing at the juncture of their upper and lower parts, the horizon offers up the illusion of air and water respectively. The works’ equine forms, moreover, represent the earth, while their glass bodies were cast out of fire. Together, they symbolize the four natural elements essential to the artist’s creation. Named after the world’s oceans, the works also suggest a Romantic notion of a voyage. Ultimately, these sculptures prompt viewers to appreciate the dynamic dualities often embedded in Rondinone’s work: here, abstract fluidity paired seamlessly with tangible solidity.
Another duality emerges in the seven bronze sculptures, standing sentinel just under three meters tall on the roof terrace overlooking the Huangpu River. Their natural rock textures are recast and painted in an aggressive DayGlo palette, with nature’s delicate equilibrium transformed into monuments of artifice. Part of the nuns + monks series, these sculptures draw inspiration from the geologic wonders called hoodoos, rock pyramids forged by natural erosion. These stacked figures exude the gravitas of holy sages, offering a compelling juxtaposition against the gleaming skyscrapers along the riverbank. Meanwhile, an eighth sculpture, one meter higher than the group, stands poised at the ground level entrance, a public sculpture inviting shared contemplation, its pink and yellow colors radiating optimism.
In sum, Ugo Rondinone’s exhibition “BURN TO SHINE” unfurls a holistic experience that pulsates from dusk to dawn, from the oceans to the sky, and from the individual to the collective. Rooted in the fundamental motif of landscape, the artist’s works transform the marvels of nature into simple yet sublime subjects, existentially capturing the profound emotions thus elicited.
