1970 / Aluminum, wood, and glass / 138.43 x 96.52 x 55.6 cm / Artist: Lamberto Hechanova / Ateneo Art Gallery collection

The innovative sculptor Hechanova introduced the use of aluminum and transparent plexiglass combined with wood. The elements of this work are basically two large cubes on the same level equidistant to a plain and upright metal support divided into two unequal sections for a lighter effect. The cubes seem to float in air but are in fact joined to the support by a transparent sheet of glass. The main interest of the work lies in the two cubes that are emblematic of the concepts “man” and “woman”; they contain compact metal assemblages of found objects, including tubes, rounded cogs, and planes, organized to subtly suggest sexual features. The geometric formality and technical clarity of the work are mocked by the strong and intense expressionistic character of the twin assemblages made of painted metal parts that are twisted and warped, dented, and irregularly textured. Because of the spontaneous handling of the metal in the cubes, a tension arises between order and chaos, controlling reason and arbitrary impulse; these convey the sense of a streamlined structure with an unpredictable, irrational core.