JEAN-MICHEL OTHONIEL

Known for his material ingenuity, characteristic elements in the artist’s visual language include his frequent use of glass, as well as forms found in nature, such as pearls and hexahedral shapes. As the title of the show acknowledges, the exhibition is composed primarily of block-shaped works, wherein the modular unit of glass bricks comes together to complete a larger single form. The glass brick—which, in addition to the new work Wonder Block, is also found in the wall-installed Precious Stonewall and Oracle series—has been a central feature in the artist’s creative practice. This interest in bricks dates back to the early 1990s, when Othoniel started experimenting with materials such as sulphur, wax, and glass that, while easily transformable, were reversible, being able at any time to be put back to their original state. La Brique de soufre (1990), a brick work made out of sulphur-covered terracotta was produced around this time. Since then, the artist has adopted the brick as a formal element of his artistic vocabulary, cherishing the principal role it has played in all generations and countries in the development of human civilisation.

Glass bricks take another formative step forward with this exhibition; Othoniel’s refined and simple minimalistic sculptures are no longer hanging on the wall, but are transformed into freestanding shapes, emphasising the independence of the work itself. Grouped under the shared title Wonder Block, Othoniel has placed five large works in the viewing room, and five smaller Wonder Blocks in the bookstore. Using the two different spaces in the Hanok, Othoniel provides differing contexts to interpret the scale and complexity of the multifaceted shapes. While the glass bricks that compose Othoniel’s work are produced only in Firozabad, a city in India, the unique Firozi blue colour has long been beloved throughout the region. Mirrored glass, unlike transparent glass, reflects the surrounding light and emits both a natural charm and ambient sense of colour. The Hanok, filled with these marvellous glowing forms, will turn into a ‘wonderland,’ enchanting visitors with mystic visions.