Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich is known for installations that seem to defy the basic laws of physics and befuddle the viewer, who is introduced into jarring environments that momentarily threaten a sense of balance or space.
One of his most well-known and critically acclaimed pieces is "Swimming Pool". Erlich has constructed a full-size pool, complete with all its trappings, including a deck and a ladder. When seen from the deck, the pool appears to be filled with deep, shimmering water. In fact, a layer of water only some 10 centimeters deep is suspended over transparent glass. Below the glass is an empty space with aquamarine walls that viewers can enter. The work sets up an unfolding sequence of experiences—we view the pool through the glass wall enclosing the courtyard; from the deck, looking down into the pool; and from the interior of the pool, looking up. The Swimming Pool might hence be considered a place where, slowly, with time, different perspectives and perceptions of self and others all come to intersect.
Fake swimming pools were installed at the PS1 Art Center in New York and the 21st Century Art Museum in Kanazawa, Japan.
New York, PS1 Art Center
Image credits: Amaury Laporte
Japan, 21st Century Art Museum
Image Credits: NAKAMICHI Atsushi / Nacása & Partners