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Born in Rio de Janeiro, Ernesto Neto is recognized across the globe for his large sculptural installations. These room-size, often enterable environments are typically comprised of suspended, biomorphic elements created from weighted fabric, whose form is dictated by the forces of gravity and balance.

This work translates Neto’s interest in natural phenomena and the tactility of his materials to an intimate scale. A piece of thread is sandwiched between two sheets of construction paper, fixed together with wax. A length of each end of the thread extends beyond the paper and is attached to a small lead weight. The resulting composition may be arranged in a number of configurations, which rely on the precarious tension of the weighted strings to remain upright. Part collage and part sculpture, this work was classified by the artist as an “almost drawing.” The continuous thread reads as a pencil line, while an extra length of freely arranged string suggests a spontaneous squiggle.