Pierre Huyghe Nymphéas Transplant (14 -18), 2014

Live pond ecosystem, light box, switchable glass, concrete
95 x 131 x 116 cm (aquarium)
75 x 143,5 x 138,5 cm (base)
25 x 118 x 103 cm (light)

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Unlike the fictional and foreboding environments of his saltwater aquariums, Pierre Huyghe’s fresh water Nymphéas Transplant aquariums (currently three versions exist) are based on the nymphéas (French for “water lily”) pond ecosystems of Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France, incorporating plants, fish, amphibians, crustaceans and insects typically found in the ponds. Huyghe interpreted the climatic data of Giverny from a given date or time period to design a lighting program for the aquarium, as evident in the title Nymphéas Transplant (14–18), which refers to the years of 1914 to 1918. These years encompass World War I, as well as the creation of Monet’s famous Water Lilies panoramic installation for the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris.