“Sor Aqua (Venetian)” is an installation artwork created in 1973 by renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg. It belongs to the Neo-Dada art movement. The artwork is characterized by its unconventional assembly of everyday objects and materials, which is a signature trait of the Neo-Dada genre.
The artwork features a rustic, standalone bathtub filled with water, positioned on a simple, smooth gray floor. Above the bathtub, an assemblage of crumpled and intertwined pieces of metal and wood is suspended, giving the impression of floating debris or an abstract, deconstructed canopy. From this suspended structure, a string or cord hangs down, touching the water surface within the bathtub below. The juxtaposition of the terrestrial bathtub with the aerial, chaotic conglomeration above creates a compelling dialogue between grounded reality and suspended abstraction. The work’s stark yet thought-provoking composition exemplifies Rauschenberg’s innovative approach to material and form.
