Beauty in Black Crystal
newsdepo.com
Some 15 artists have created sculptures, jewelry and mirrors out of the under-appreciated volcanic glass, obsidian, currently on display at the exhibit “Un Miroir d’Obsidienne” (a Mirror of Obsidian), at Gallery Pierre-Alain Challier in Paris, until JanBeauty in Black Crystal
Some 15 artists have created sculptures, jewelry and mirrors out of the under-appreciated volcanic glass, obsidian, currently on display at the exhibit “Un Miroir d’Obsidienne” (a Mirror of Obsidian), at Gallery Pierre-Alain Challier in Paris, until January 12, 2019.While a show devoted to forms made of the “black crystal” risks sending a somber, even austere overall message, a closer look reveals that the exhibited artists not only bring to light the complexity of this material, exploring how to reveal its different shades of color and texture, but they have also done so in an impressive breadth of unexpected ways.“We’re in a time period where we’re solicited by so many different topics, and we often want a little novelty. But novelty doesn’t mean looking for a new artist at all costs. I think it can be found in surprises created from ancient things we’ve forgotten about, like this stone,” said Pierre-Alain Challier in an interview with BLOUINSHOP at his gallery.Indeed, obsidian can form layers of different shades, which can range from black, transparent, milky gray, speckled terracotta, and even bright colors in what’s referred to as “rainbow obsidian,” though the latter wasn’t used in this show. The artists used obsidian sourced from Mont Ararat, in Armenia. Finding the direction in which these rivers of varying tones flow through the stone and carving into the difficult-to-manipulate material without breaking it are some of the challenges artists and artisans masterfully worked with here. Some of the artists and designers participating in the show include Mattia Bonetti, Parvine Curie, Jordi, Eva Jospin, Hubert le Gall, Arik Levy, Nicolas Lefebvre, Zoe Ouvrier, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Jean-Luc Parant, Josette Rispal, Anne and Patrick Poirier, and Jean-Baptiste Sibertin-Blanc.“Sometimes when we give artists a limit around the materials they can use, it forces them to ask questions differently, and to go a little further with the material,” said Challier. An artist new to a medium will, “amuse themselves at trying what they’ve been told is impossible to construct from a material, so it can cause surprises and beautiful pieces. You need to have the combination of incredible savoir faire, and the inventiveness of artists,” he said.Challier specifically commissioned the French-based artists to design interpretations of jewelry and mirrors using obsidian, the results of which are available in limited editions. Some hand-assembled the pieces themselves, but most artists worked closely with the artisan Michel der Agobian, and his workshop, Cub-Ar, which specializes in working with obsidian from Armenia.In one extravagant case, the artist Mattia Bonetti created one of the most difficult, timeconsuming pieces to construct for the show: a fluid-edged mirror, framed with a puffed ring of 700 solid black obsidian beads, which flow out like weightless, scattered drops onto the mirror, and the surrounding wall. Each bead had to be hand carved and carefully pierced without shattering it.“The magic lies in the fact that up until now, nobody has ever made a mirror with 700 obsidian beads carved like this,” Challier said. “So it’s a little crazy, but it’s also what makes this incredible effect, and it’s what is so enchanting about this field of work. I like to go a little beyond the limits.” Obsidian also comes with its own associations, adding depth to the pieces. “We imagine obsidian in museums, in archeology, but in Armenia, for example, it was used to make cutting instruments, and with time, it took on other meanings. We find it in the famous Tutankhamun mask, in the eyes carved like beads, with the Incas, who used it to make sacrificial knives. So it has a strong, sometimes disturbing symbolism. And on the other hand, litho-therapy experts, who believe stones can heal illnesses, say obsidian is extremely positive,” Challier explained.That positive energy could be felt in many of the playful pieces, like Anne and Patrick Poirier’s set of polished, jewel-like obsidian blocks arranged like antique ruins, which are meant to be moved around, as in a child’s game, or in the many animal representations in the show. When polished, obsidian can be highly reflective, acting as a mirror, and many chose to experiment with its surface as their version of the requisite mirror.This difficult, sharp-edged volcanic glass can be dangerous to carve, but some artists preferred working with the unpolished rock directly. In one piece, Jean-Luc Parant chose his own blocks of raw obsidian, and without changing them, inserted them into wax balls, which are characteristic of his sculptures. He also wrote his thoughts inspired by the material, in white paint on thin obsidian plates, which are as transparent as film when held to the light.“We wanted the artists to have a certain liberty, so that their creation visually corresponds to their universe,” said Challier. In one example, Jean-Michel Othoniel assembled necklaces himself with obsidian beads. He is known for his larger-than-life, dynamic sculptures that often use over-sized glass beads arrayed on metal rods. The “artist jewelry” he created for this show cannot be easily worn by just anyone. Each piece is adorned with a large, raw-looking chunk of polished obsidian, hung on a string of smaller, round beads.“For someone who likes the work of Othoniel, this is an opportunity to buy a piece of jewelry that is on the frontier of sculpture, since his sculptures are like jewelry: they are large necklaces. And for a one-of-a-kind piece, the price is rather affordable,” said Challier.A self-described editor of furniture and jewelry by artists, and not necessarily of “pure design,” Challier is one of a handful of gallerists devoted to both areas, and in particular to artist jewelry, which is permanently shown in a vaultlike space in the gallery’s basement.Though Challier had never done an obsidianthemed show with artists before now, the idea of commissioning artists for a design to be produced in limited editions, “was really part of the gallery’s DNA from the start,” he said.Challier took over the stock from the former Art Curial gallery, which began in the 1970s as a dealer of limited-edition work by major 20th century artists, and later became the auction house it still is today. Challier’s gallery opened in 2007, and “was a way for me to prolong that story, and to continue commissioning work from artists,” he said.Prices available upon request.This article appears in the January 2019 edition of BlouinShop magazine. Subscribe at www.blouinsubscriptions.comhttps://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more