WHY PEOPLE CAN’T FLY
Cannes, France
The 3-meter-high sculpture “Why people can’t fly” is permanently on view in the JW Marriott Cannes hotel.
“Sometimes art stops you in your tracks and makes you rethink reality.”
“Why People Can’t Fly” was made in 4 versions: 3, 4, 6 and 10- meter-high, each in absolutely different technique.
The first was a 3-meter-high sculpture which was created for The Prince Albert II Foundation’s Gala for the Global Ocean charity auction in 2018. A 10-meter-high version — was first showcased in public space during the 2019 Venice Biennale. After that, it was sent to the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada. Now, the new 10-meter version is installed in Moscow, Russia.
The 6-meter version, which is now installed in the Gernot Huber Foundation sculpture park on Tenerife is created in Vasily Klyukin’s unique technique and made of polycarbonate plates, steel and acrylic.
There’s no need to approach the sculpture to understand the meaning the artist is trying to relay — every person who sees it will have a different perception, and a complete change in the understanding of the usual and the mundane. They will have their own reasons for why the man can’t fly and why he’s upside-down.
“Sometimes art stops you in your tracks and makes you rethink reality.”
“Why People Can’t Fly” was made in 4 versions: 3, 4, 6 and 10- meter-high, each in absolutely different technique.
The first was a 3-meter-high sculpture which was created for The Prince Albert II Foundation’s Gala for the Global Ocean charity auction in 2018. A 10-meter-high version — was first showcased in public space during the 2019 Venice Biennale. After that, it was sent to the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada. Now, the new 10-meter version is installed in Moscow, Russia.
The 6-meter version, which is now installed in the Gernot Huber Foundation sculpture park on Tenerife is created in Vasily Klyukin’s unique technique and made of polycarbonate plates, steel and acrylic.
There’s no need to approach the sculpture to understand the meaning the artist is trying to relay — every person who sees it will have a different perception, and a complete change in the understanding of the usual and the mundane. They will have their own reasons for why the man can’t fly and why he’s upside-down.
From September 2025