Michael Sailstorfer, Tank A1, 2025

2025

Medium

Aluminum

Dimensions

180 × 130 cm

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-156051

The sculpture “Tank A1” (2025) features a cast aluminum car fuel tank, originally hidden within the interior of a vehicle. Michael Sailstorfer removes it from its technical context, transforming it into an autonomous object that hangs on the wall like an oversized mask. Two round openings resemble eyes, while curved pipes run across its surface, reminiscent of veins or nerve pathways. What was once a purely technical form takes on an anthropomorphic quality. For nearly two decades, the artist has been working with mask sculptures, exploring their symbolism and significance. By using materials such as metal and ceramics, he investigates both their cultural and futuristic dimensions, often integrating elements of architecture and science fiction to raise questions about transformation and identity. Tank A1 thus becomes not only a reservoir of energy but also a bearer of an almost corporeal presence. Its metallic surface, marked by traces of processing and use, is uneven, crisscrossed with weld seams and casting marks. From an unremarkable automotive component, a sculpture emerges—one that interrogates energy, materiality, and the boundary between technology and the body. As an industrial ready-made, the functional tank is transformed into an object that explores the intersection of machinery and the human form.