Overview:

Marc Quinn’s solo show at Fondazione Prada includes three works displayed for the first time: the sculptures ‘Continuous Present’ (2000), a kind of time machine consisting of a reflecting stainless steel cylinder, round which revolves slowly a human skull supported by a metal arm; ‘Group Portrait’ (1999 – 2000), a gallery of sculptural portraits consisting of eight marble figures; and ‘Garden’ (2000), a real botanical garden full of plants and flowers gathered from all over the planet. These are displayed in full bloom, and are potentially eternal – an unreal dimension that cannot exist unless produced artificially. The plants were subjected to a freezing process that maintains them in an immutable state: they can neither grow nor perish. All the plants and flowers are maintained in a state of maximum splendour by being immersed in 25 tons of liquid silicone at a temperature of -20°C.