Takis (1925–2019) has been hailed for his contributions to the kinetic art movement of the mid-twentieth century, but reexamining his work through an ecological lens yields new insights into his practice. Drawing upon developments in new materialism, the author offers an ecocritical reading of the artist’s engagements with magnets, proposing that by emphasizing the agency of nonliving matter, Takis’s work could contribute to the urgent task of fostering an embodied ecological ethics.

Takis (1925–2019) has been hailed for his contributions to the kinetic art movement of the mid-twentieth century, but reexamining his work through an ecological lens yields new insights into his practice. Drawing upon developments in new materialism, the author offers an ecocritical reading of the artist’s engagements with magnets, proposing that by emphasizing the agency of non-living matter, Takis’s work could contribute to the urgent task of fostering an embodied ecological ethics.