Miami Art Week: Lorenzo Quinn’s nuclear missile installation in Wynwood

Months after Lorenzo Quinn turned heads with his Venice Biennale installation (titled “Support”) depicting giant hands reaching out of the Grand Canal in an effort to bring attention to Climate Change, and the Italian sculptor has unveiled a powerful new piece in Miami for Art Week.

His latest creation, “A Dangerous Game,” is a two-part installation in Mana Wynwood, displaying a giant hand holding a nuclear missile as if it were a dart. The target is represented by the United Nations logo.

As with the previous installation, the hand was modeled after Quinn’s young son. The inspiration sourced from a trip to Cuba last year when he saw an exhibit about the Cuban Missile Crisis at a museum. A week later, North Korea would launch their first medium-range ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan.

“Human beings just are the worst kind of animals because they keep repeating the same mistakes on and on again,” Quinn says.

Courtesy of Lorenzo Quinn

“I have three children and I’m very concerned about their future. So the environment concerns me a lot and, of course, world peace. And the leaders around the world are playing with their armies as if they’re little toys. Toy soldiers. They’re like irresponsible kids. In the same way you wouldn’t give a dart to a child, you can’t give weapons of mass destruction to some leaders because they’re just not responsible enough to have them.”

The piece is comprised of steel, fiber, and resin, and was shipped in from Spain, where Quinn took about three months to construct it. It’s located at 2217 Northwest Fifth Avenue.

Quinn’s “Support” in Venice is below.