Year: 2022
Medium: Indian rose mirrored glass, stainless steel
Dimensions: 13 x 146 x 22 cm (5 1/8 x 57 1/2 x 8 5/8 in.)
Acquired from Kukje Gallery, 2022
Bricks have been a regular feature of Othoniel’s work since the ’90s and constitute a signature motif of the artist along with beads. For example, the large-scale 2018 installation “Big Wave” was created by piling up blown-glass bricks into the shape of a tsunami. Bricks occupy an important position throughout human history. Since ancient times, people have used them to build houses, fortresses, roads, and hearths for survival. Othoniel is always aware of the way his works function in space; to develop the relationship between a sculptural work and its planned site, his thinking extends to architecture, mathematics, and even the history of human life. This work, which is characterized by its resemblance to an extracted section of a brick wall, was named “Oracle.” Othoniel has spoken of how artists are like prophets who were able to see into the future, and he sees his works as being like oracles. Bricklaying is the repetition of simple and logical structures, yet it serves as a kind of code that makes us imagine the oracle that came down to Othoniel.
