[Permanent Exhibition] Anselm Kiefer “The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004–2015” | Pirelli HangarBicocca

Anselm Kiefer “The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004–2015”

I visited Anselm Kiefer’s “The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004–2015.”
The venue is Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, Italy.

Anselm Kiefer’s The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004–2015 is a permanent installation at Pirelli HangarBicocca.
Installed at the museum’s opening in 2004, it remains open to the public today.

This work is inspired by the “seven palaces” that appear in the ancient Jewish mystical text Sefer Hechalot.
That text depicts a symbolic spiritual journey toward drawing near to God, and Kiefer reinterprets it in a contemporary context.
His work takes as its themes the history and cultural memory of postwar Germany, and humanity’s spiritual quest.

Many people will be struck the moment they step into this space.
The seven towers are each reinforced-concrete structures 14–18 meters tall and weighing 90 tons, with seven placed in all.
The towers are built from modules shaped like shipping containers, with lead books and wedges inserted at each level.
It’s a space that unfolds on an overwhelming scale.

It’s a space I’d really encourage you to visit at least once.