MUNICH.- 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the Pinakothek der Moderne. That year will see the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München host the Rotunda Project, turning its attention to current issues of the day. A suite of four consecutive artistic interventions invites you to experience surprising shifts in perspective, thought-provoking inspirations and sensual impressions, as a lasting anniversary gift for the future.

The Rotunda is the central public space in the Pinakothek der Moderne with the four museums under one roof. The still young dynamic exhibition format of the Rotunda Projects allows the focal point of the building to become an energetic pole within the art space. Large-scale visionary artistic projects invite you time and again to linger in the Rotunda, engage in stimulating conversations or simply to find a little spot for your own daydreams.

The anniversary year opens with “The Cast Whale Project“ by Gil Shachar. Stranded in the Rotunda of the Pinakothek der Moderne, the huge humpback whale radiates an unprecedented calm that spreads to us humans. Instinctively, we move cautiously about the space, lowering our voices and momentarily pausing in silence. We want to understand what has happened here.

Whales are the largest living creatures on the planet. For years, their species has been at the top of the endangered species list. In their lifetimes only a few people have had the chance to encounter whales in their natural habitat of the endless expanses of the world‘s oceans. All the more we feel drawn to these enigmatic creatures and the peace-loving giants enjoy our sympathy.

Despite all financial, bureaucratic and ethical reservations, sculptor Gil Shachar for years pursued the goal of fulfilling his innermost wish of one day molding a whale. He is familiar with the technique required for this through his work as a sculptor, and this project was the first time he stretched it to its limits. In August 2018, the time had finally come. On the coast of South Africa, a team led by Gil Shachar molded a beached humpback whale that had died there. In March 2019, the whale sculpture was cast from the natural imprint in Cape Town in an elaborate procedure lasting a period of weeks. Now the monochrome gray sculpture has arrived at the Pinakothek der Moderne, acoustically framed by John Cage‘s „Litany for the Whale“ from 1980 – an archaic vocal piece for two solo voices, reminiscent of Gregorian chants in its sonorous serenity.

To this day, for Gil Shachar, people‘s first physical-psychic encounter with sculpture remains a magical moment, even before they are tempted to comprehend, classify and interpret. Each of us is addressed in our own way in our first, very personal encounter with „The Cast Whale Project.“ And may it be a happy moment.

Gil Shachar (1965, Tel Aviv) lives and works as a painter and sculptor in Duisburg.

He became known for his sculptures made of wax and epoxy resin, which move veristic objects and persons spatio-temporally through subtle shifts in the outer form.