Year: 2015
Medium: Mirrored glass, stainless steel
Dimensions: 130 x 150 x 100 cm (51 1/8 x 59 x 39 3/8 in.)
Acquired from Kukje Gallery, 2023
This work is hung from the ceiling by wires and displayed in midair. The glass spheres that make up the work have a mirror surface and are colored in shades of pink as the title suggests. The round mirror surface reflects the surrounding scenery in all directions, which changes rapidly as the viewer’s perspective moves. The work appears to be composed of multiple rings, but when unraveled, it becomes the structure of a single line. This work was exhibited in the large-scale solo exhibition “Treasure Gardens” at Sema - Buk-Seoul Museum of Art in 2022. Although Othoniel has exhibited many lotus flower-themed works in the past, Othoniel particularly expressed his keen interest in gardens and flowers in this exhibition, with an installation of beaded works resembling water lilies placed in the museum’s lotus pond. The lotus flower, which keeps blooming in the morning and closing in the afternoon, serves as a metaphor for the reincarnation of life and death for Othoniel. With reincarnation in Othoniel’s mind and his use of a single-ring structure in the work, Orientals naturally associate it with prayer beads. Prayer beads are for counting prayers. Thus, this is the lotus as a representation of prayer and reincarnation. In addition to the meaning of elements such as glass, mirror, and ring in Western art, Othoniel’s work reveals a deep understanding of the Eastern view on life and death, including Buddhism.
Photo by Chunho An, Image provided by Kukje Gallery
