Glove Trotter
1991
Stainless steel mesh and balls of several sizes, colors, and materials
Glove Trotter (1991) was first shown at the itinerant exhibition Latin American Artists of the Twentieth Century (1992-1993), that has been presented in several important art institutions, and lastly at the MoMA – Museum of Modern Art in New York (USA). The work is composed of several spheres of different sizes, colors, and materials collected by the artist over the years. Here, Cildo Meireles departs from classical sculptural questions, like volume, weight, and gravity, in addition to incorporating references from other contexts, such as geography and astronomy.
A metal mesh, like the ones used to protect bodies for fights during the Middle Ages, covers the objects on display over a platform, conferring unity to the whole in a moon-like landscape. The variation of heights of the spheres also gives the work a certain melodic aspect, with shades that alter according to the different incidence of light on the surface. The title also makes reference to the expression globe trotter, someone who travels widely and often, in a wordplay with glove, alluding to the material covering the spheres and preventing them from moving, thus organizing a sculptural topography.