Leonor Antunes’ Architectural Homage to Franca Helg at HangarBicocca

Leonor Antunes (born 1972, Lisbon) presents 'the last days in Galliate' at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, an installation built from meticulous measurements of architectural elements. The centerpiece features three suspended leather sculptures referencing Franca Helg’s work in Milan and Galliate Lombardo between the late 1940s and 1960s. Antunes recreates forms from a villa Helg designed for her parents, using leather tubes based on a staircase handrail. The exhibition unfolds as an open compositional diary, linking Antunes to Milanese design and architecture history. The floor installation 'modified double impression' (2018) covers the entire surface in linoleum, inspired by Anni Albers’ 1978 print 'Double Impression,' which uses a double press pass for richer color. Hanging brass panels in 'altered climbing form I, II, III, IV' (2017–18) reference Mary Martin’s 1954 'Climbing Form,' a British Constructivist relief. The show concludes with 'random intersections #20' (2018), organic sculptures made from animal gut—the same technique used for reins—based on a 1940 project by Carlo Mollino. The cords are knotted and hung from the ceiling, crafted by artisans who preserved the material’s organoleptic qualities.