Furnarius rufus
1976
Sculpture, 34 x 129 x 97 cm (open), 43.5 x 33.5 x 33.5 cm (gesloten).
Materials: Wooden hinged kit with nest and stuffed birds in perspex, black painted metal stand
Collection: Collectie M HKA, Antwerpen / Foundation Gordon Matta-Clark (Inv. no. S0079).
Like many works by architect and visual artist Luis F. Benedict, Furnarius Rufus questions the impact of modernisation on the Argentine sense of identity. In this artwork, the often recurring theme of nature (here with a reference to the South American songbird Furnarius Rufus) versus culture takes the form of a series of shells, both natural and man-made, that fit into one another to protect what is vulnerable.