Malìa

VIOLA PINEIDER 2026

Malìa comes from a long material sedimentation within the studio. Pineider gathers and preserves reclaimed wood fragments for the force of their forms, for the tensions already present in their cuts, thicknesses and grain. Brought together in a three-metre structure, these elements acquire an autonomous presence. Residue becomes body, surface and rhythm in space.

Wood has long shaped Pineider’s practice as both matter and method. In Malìa, each fragment keeps its own character. Edges remain visible, volumes shift, and the material holds the trace of previous gestures without being absorbed into a smooth surface.

Developed within the material research of ARC Studio, the work brings a practice rooted in the relationship between wood and the body into direct contact with the surrounding environment. The body remains present as measure and memory. The work asks to be approached, followed by the eye, read through movement.

The work attracts and unsettles, turning reclaimed wood into a presence that feels ancient, constructed and strangely alive.

Detalhe da escultura Malìa da Viola Pineider

Polished stainless-steel inserts cut into the density of the wood. They catch pieces of the surrounding space and return them as unstable reflections, bringing the viewer’s position into the visual field of the work. The form never settles into a single image. It appears through light, proximity and point of view.

The title comes from an old Italian word linked to enchantment and perceptual suspension. In Malìa, this quality passes through the material itself. The work attracts and unsettles, turning reclaimed wood into a presence that feels ancient, constructed and strangely alive.