It looks like black water. In fact, strips of magnetic tape are being lifted by electric fans. For Žilvinas Kempinas, a material once used to record images becomes a moving image itself: eddies appear, cross and dissolve without settling into a fixed shape.
The Lithuanian artist, based in New York, works with air, light and ordinary materials. The simple mechanism rewards close attention: even a small change in airflow reshapes the landscape.
Reference exhibition: Fountains, Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús, Reykjavík, Iceland, 2013. The photograph and the artist’s Vimeo video document that presentation. The Facebook reel shared by 36 Degrés in 2025 shows another presentation of the same installation; its venue is not specified.
Žilvinas Kempinas — Fountains. Photographie et vidéo Vimeo / photograph and Vimeo video : archives de l’artiste / artist’s archive. Reel Facebook : 36 Degrés. Original video · Source and documentation