Pungolo (Impfmachine), 2008

Steel, yellow gold 18K and vegetable wax
29,7 × 22,5 × 21 cm
Impfmachine
The work realised during the pandemic, On the occasion of the ORTE exhibition with Ulrich Egger at Gefängnis Le Carceri in the premises of the former prison of the Kaltern Magistrate's Court and at Marktplatz.
Start date / Startdatum: 20.05.2021

The stinger is an organ or part of the body of anthropods that transmits poison: a stinger differs from other piercing structures in that it punctures thanks to its own action and injects the poison.

Possibility and constraint, action and expectation
Exhibited for the first time in 2021 in the former prison in Kaltern, Pungolo (Impfmachine) materialises a space for reflection on the tension between freedom and constraint. The positioning of the work - a structure suspended from a stone wall, raised off the ground - is not a mere backdrop: it becomes an amplification of the dialogue between what is blocked and what could move. Thus, this work is in a precarious balance between impulse and inhibition, like a restrained stimulus to action.
The sculpture is small in size, in stark contrast to other works by Cavenago. Its form develops into a rectangular body that closes at the top with a curvature, similar to a carapace. This protective, almost defensive line gives the construction a vaguely zoomorphic quality, as if the structure itself were designed to protect something precious and vulnerable, enclosed within. Apparently ready to move, it is, however, fixed in a vertical position that immobilises it. The yellow gold sting, precious and pointed, is proposed as an element of threat and protection. The interaction between the rough opacity of steel and the lustre of gold draws a formal tension, where the idea of freedom meets an inflexible obstacle, suggesting a latent energy in waiting.
Born at a time of restrictions and fears, this sculpture reflects the experience of a society placed under surveillance, oscillating between protection and vulnerability. Pungolo is a metaphor for the invisible pressure that constrains actions and crystallises the impulse: a condition of surveillance that alludes to a compressed freedom, an inner motion trapped in the space of non-action.
The title, Pungolo (Impfmachine), in German, recalls the idea of a medical mechanism, resonating ironically with the linguistic and cultural context of the German-speaking area of Caldaro. Thus, the work becomes site-specific, anchored to the place and time of the pandemic, incorporating the burden of a historical period in which control and movement were central themes. The irony of the title elevates the work to a critical commentary, transforming the sculpture into an entity that silently and persistently challenges the boundaries of movement and immobility.
L.B.

Pungolo (Impfmachine), 2008

Steel, yellow gold 18K and vegetable wax
29,7 × 22,5 × 21 cm
Impfmachine
The work realised during the pandemic, On the occasion of the ORTE exhibition with Ulrich Egger at Gefängnis Le Carceri in the premises of the former prison of the Kaltern Magistrate's Court and at Marktplatz.
Start date / Startdatum: 20.05.2021

The stinger is an organ or part of the body of anthropods that transmits poison: a stinger differs from other piercing structures in that it punctures thanks to its own action and injects the poison.

Possibility and constraint, action and expectation
Exhibited for the first time in 2021 in the former prison in Kaltern, Pungolo (Impfmachine) materialises a space for reflection on the tension between freedom and constraint. The positioning of the work - a structure suspended from a stone wall, raised off the ground - is not a mere backdrop: it becomes an amplification of the dialogue between what is blocked and what could move. Thus, this work is in a precarious balance between impulse and inhibition, like a restrained stimulus to action.
The sculpture is small in size, in stark contrast to other works by Cavenago. Its form develops into a rectangular body that closes at the top with a curvature, similar to a carapace. This protective, almost defensive line gives the construction a vaguely zoomorphic quality, as if the structure itself were designed to protect something precious and vulnerable, enclosed within. Apparently ready to move, it is, however, fixed in a vertical position that immobilises it. The yellow gold sting, precious and pointed, is proposed as an element of threat and protection. The interaction between the rough opacity of steel and the lustre of gold draws a formal tension, where the idea of freedom meets an inflexible obstacle, suggesting a latent energy in waiting.
Born at a time of restrictions and fears, this sculpture reflects the experience of a society placed under surveillance, oscillating between protection and vulnerability. Pungolo is a metaphor for the invisible pressure that constrains actions and crystallises the impulse: a condition of surveillance that alludes to a compressed freedom, an inner motion trapped in the space of non-action.
The title, Pungolo (Impfmachine), in German, recalls the idea of a medical mechanism, resonating ironically with the linguistic and cultural context of the German-speaking area of Caldaro. Thus, the work becomes site-specific, anchored to the place and time of the pandemic, incorporating the burden of a historical period in which control and movement were central themes. The irony of the title elevates the work to a critical commentary, transforming the sculpture into an entity that silently and persistently challenges the boundaries of movement and immobility.
L.B.

Impfmachine
On the occasion of ORTE with Ulrich Egger
at Gefängnis Le Carceri in the spaces of ex prison of Pretura di Caldaro and in Marktplatz.
Date of start / Startdatum: 20.05.2021

Private collection, Lugano

Detail of the sting in gold

Making of the stinger in 18K yellow gold

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