From April 11th to June 29th, the main courtyard of Vienna's museum quarter will host an exhibition of kinetic sculpture titled "Fountain of Exhaustion" by Ukrainian artist Pavlo Makov. This was announced by The Naked Room on their Instagram page.
"Fountain of Exhaustion" is a kinetic sculpture where water gradually descends through a cascade of 78 copper funnels arranged in the shape of a triangle. This composition symbolizes the depletion of natural resources and humanity.
The concept of the sculpture originated with Makov in the 1990s against the backdrop of another water supply disruption in Kharkiv due to an accident. For Makov, funnels symbolize power, while an empty funnel embodies powerlessness. Thus, the presence of water in the fountain symbolizes power, but the word "exhaustion" suggests its absence, emphasizing a sense of weakness, loss of trust, and disappointment.
This project was conceived as a means to capture the atmosphere of urban life at that time. Its creation process went through stages from initial sketches to the production of volumetric sculptures and the publication of books, culminating in its presentation at the Venice Biennale in 2022.
