There are no limits to what Othoniel can imagine with glass. With a three-decade-long career behind him, his monumental sculptures only continue to grow in scale and symbolism. Utilising unorthodox materials including sulphur, wax and volcanic glass, Othoniel explores the possibilities of material, and how such materials reveal the poetic fragility of human experience. Colossal beaded necklaces are a central motif. With no-one wearing the chains, they represent “absence” and the ephemerality of life. Byzantine dances from the Middle Ages are an important influence, as well as the complex forms...
Bio
Jean-Michel Othoniel was born in 1964 in Saint-Étienne, France, and is now based in Paris.
Career
The artist has worked on a series of prominent public commissions and installations, encountered by millions at locations including Parisian subway station Palais-Royal - Musée du Louvre, the illustrious Château de Versailles, and Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
Accolades
In 1996, he was granted a residency at Rome's Villa Medici - a significant art historical site and former home to the French Academy, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Cardinal Alessandro de' Medici (Pope Leo XI).