You spin me right ro

You spin me right round. — Japanese sculptor and performance artist Aki Sasamoto explores the nuances and peculiarities of everyday life – and ‘Past in a future tense’ (2019) is no exception. In this new sculptural installation, amber whiskey tumblers spin dizzyingly on two wooden cocktail tables, enabled by fan-generated wind streaming through an assembly of glass orbs connected to snaking HVAC tubes. The setup simulates a vivid memory of Sasamoto’s: during a time when she was refraining from drinking, she found herself subconsciously beginning to fidget with and spin a glass while daydreaming about sipping scotch. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sasamoto grapples with the tension between control and chaos – between her mastery over materials and their own will. ‘Whatever I thought I had control over, whatever I thought I was,’ the artist once shared with @art21, ‘will change in front of me and that to me is exciting, in life and in sculpture.’ — Aki Sasamoto, Installation view of ‘Past in a future tense, Table 1 & 2’ (2019), presented by @BortolamiGallery at Art Basel Miami Beach 2019.