Kunstmuseum Magdeburg presents The Rhinoceros in the Room. Or: A Tale of Banality of Evil, a large-scale installation by Itamar Gov occupying the museum’s 11th-century Romanesque church, on view until 5 July 2026.
At the centre of the nave stands a 10-metre-high, 7-metre-wide, and 17-metre-long inflatable Northern White rhinoceros, hand-sewn in white polyester. The colossal body physically blocks the spatial axis of the church, interrupting its traditional processional logic and forcing visitors into direct confrontation with its presence.
A multi-channel polyphonic sound composition permeates the interior, dissolving the boundary between sculpture and architecture.
From Metaphor to Material
Gov’s work draws on Eugène Ionesco’s 1959 play Rhinoceros, in which a community gradually transforms into rhinoceroses, surrendering to collective conformity and ideological extremism. From this narrative emerged the concept of “rhinocerisation” — the normalization of destructive political currents within society.
Here, the metaphor becomes literal: the rhinoceros is no longer symbolic. It occupies space.
Inflated Mass, Fragile Body
Despite its monumental scale, the animal is nothing more than an air-filled membrane.
An alarming presence constructed from a thin white skin.
The contrast between the permanence of medieval stone and the ephemerality of polyester intensifies the installation’s tension. The sacred architecture becomes an active participant, amplifying the absurdity and gravity of the gesture.
Sound as Spatial Structure
The soundscape, composed by Bruno Delepelaire and recorded with Moritz Huemer and contralto Noa Beinart, references medieval chants, Goethe’s Erlkönig, and the Hebrew lullaby Hitragut. The layered composition oscillates between comfort and unease, reinforcing the duality of spectacle and warning.
Blocking the Axis
By obstructing the nave, Gov performs a precise spatial intervention.
The work redefines circulation, orientation, and perception within the church.
The Rhinoceros in the Room ultimately asks whether what appears monumental is in fact sustained only by air — and whether the true danger lies not in its scale, but in its normalization.
***
Photos ©Itamar Gov and Zilberman Gallery Berlin
4
comment