In 1986, American artist Isamu Noguchi became the first dedicated single artist to represent the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Slide Mantra, which had been carved into eight pieces from 120 tons of raw marble in Querceta, Italy - became the iconic highlight of his exhibition.

Although Noguchi originally created the idea in 1966 as an experiment for children’s play equipment, it was never expanded larger than a simple plaster model until 20 years later at the Venice Biennale.

Photos by Shigeo Anzai from The Noguchi Museum Archives ©INFGM / ARS