Paloma Varga Weisz’s Lucent Folk Figures at Sadie Coles HQ

Paloma Varga Weisz plays with the transitory elements of light and colour in her exhibition Glass (12 July–19 August 2023) at Sadie Coles HQ‘s 8 Bury Street location in London.

The German-born artist continues her ‘Wilde Leute’ series (1998–ongoing) with her first foray into glass casting, a process inspired by a trip she made to the Venetian island of Murano in Italy—an island well-known for its tradition of glass-making.

Varga Weisz cast coloured glass to mould charming folk figures with bear or bunny-like ears. Her figures—some measuring no more than 19 centimetres high—populate plinths throughout the space, sitting cross-legged or kneeling in a moment of contemplation.

The artist’s ‘wild people’ catch varying tones of light and shadow in the gallery, which gives the work a transformational quality. Their smooth yet imperfect surfaces test our belief that they are made from glass as opposed to more malleable materials such as wax or soap.

Looking closely, you can see trapped air bubbles suspended around the chest and mouth of several characters—perhaps alluding to the breaths they took in a previous life.

The sculptures are accompanied by recent watercolour drawings that depict Varga Weisz’s characters in a more traditional, two-dimensional style. The portraits give more depth and personality to each figurine, animating them with fluid strokes and moody expressions.