From 11 December a large “Big Bambú” installation by the American artists Mike and Doug Starn, who have been selected for Enel Contemporanea 2012, will be on show at Rome's MACRO Testaccio, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Enel company.

The two artists and identical twins will be the protagonists of the sixth edition of Enel Contemporanea, among the most prestigious international events of contemporary art. 

“Big Bambú” is an installation to be experienced through paths, walkways and feelings. Furthermore, it is a surprising place to meet, speak, listen to a presentation, read a book or even simply look at Rome from a different and unique point of view. For this occasion, two green islands have been created along the lateral corridors, including a botanic selection of evergreen and ornamental plants linked to the tradition of the area.

Inside the museum area, about 8,000 bamboo rods have been connected and interlocked by the artists with their team of American and Italian climbers in a traditional method, to create an unusual structure/sculpture of up to about 25 metres. The Starn brothers have designed it as a living organism, constantly changing in its complexity and energy, thanks to a solid and flexible material, as well as highly symbolic, namely bamboo. 

In 2010 the installation "Big Bambú: You Can’t, You Don’t and You Won’t Stop" by the Starn brothers, on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, was the ninth most-visited exhibition in the museum's history and the fourth most-visited in the world that year. Subsequently, it was presented at the 54th Biennial of Venice in 2011.

Based in New York, the award-winning artists have worked together for over 20 years, focusing mainly on conceptual art and photography. Their works, conceived as novel organic structures in evolution, are found in numerous public and private collections and have been exhibited in many of the world's most prestigious museums and galleries. 

The annual Enel Contemporanea foresees the realisation of works of art around the theme of energy, commissioning artists of different nationalities. This initiative, now in its sixth edition, explores the concept of energy through the universal language of art. 

Free entrance. Tues-Sun 16.00-22.00. Mon closed.