Leandro Erlich, The Building, 2023. Liberty Science Center, NJ, USA

On the occasion of his major exhibition in Palazzo Reale in Milan on view until October 4 and his intervention in the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey visible through the summer, our new Cinema Room episode is dedicated to a world-renowned Argentine conceptual artist Leandro Erlich. His stunning installations transform the ordinary things - a house, a swimming pool, an elevator… - into truly extraordinary manifestations, reversing our perception of the inner and outer reality. They create a strong visual paradox, challenge our worldview and bring the magic back into the everyday life, sparking a sense of curiosity and wonder.
This film presents a 30-minute experience of Leandro Erlich’s brilliant installation The Building, bringing his acclaimed Bâtiment series to the New York area for the first time (after its previous incarnations in Paris, London, Bueons Aires, the Echigo-Tsumari region of Japan, etc.). A model of a building is constructed on the ground : the visitors are invited to activate the installation and pretend to “climb” on the façade, navigating between the windows and even “hanging” of the balconies. A giant mirror, standing over the model at an angle and thus reflecting everything that is happening on it, creates a wonderful illusion that the visitors are indeed walking on the impossible, perpendicular surface, thus defying the laws of gravity.
Each reinterpretation of the Bâtiment series is intimately linked to the context in which it is installed, integrating the architectural vocabulary proper to its surroundings. Likewise, in the film we witness a New York City brick storefront - complete with a deli and fire-escapes - a typical building of the area, strengthening the viewer’s experience of immersion.
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