Ugo Rondinone green red blue yellow mountain, 2019
12 x 70 x 70 cm (pedestal)
222 x 70 x 70 cm (overall)
Combining the appearance of geological formations and abstract compositions, Ugo Rondinone's Mountain sculptures consist of rocks stacked vertically in groups ranging between two and six (four in the present example).
Inspired by naturally-occurring Hoodoos (spires or pyramids of rock) and balancing rock formations, the stacks also evoke the art of meditative rock balancing. Each stone is painted a different Day-Glo color, with the sculptures' titles referring in Minimalist vein to their component pigments. The stones appear precariously balanced. Oscillating between monumentality and collapse, the formations seem to defy gravity, just as the bright colors add a playful notion to their pathos.
A group of seven colorful monumental stone sculptures, entitled Seven Magic Mountains, has been installed in the Nevada Desert in 2016. In October 2018, Rondinone inaugurated the more than ten-meter-tall Liverpool Mountain at the Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool. The work was commissioned by Liverpool Biennial and Tate Liverpool as part of the Liverpool 2018 events programme with support from Royal Albert Dock Liverpool.