EnLightened
26 January- 20 April 2023

conceptual swiss artist rolf sachs works with various media and is known for challenging preconceived applications, processes and ideas about everyday objects. sachs aims to trigger an emotional response to his artworks through humour and wit.
the pouring light sculpture incorporates light that floods out of perforations in an old watering can, creating a pin-hole camera effect, pouring light onto surrounding surfaces.

hamburg-based artist florian borkenhagen consciously blurs the boundaries between art and design, challenging our perception of everyday objects through deconstruction and transformation. his work continues the arte povera tradition in which the banal becomes an artwork. the exhibition will premiere natura cancellata, an old painting depicting a luscious mountain scene interrupted by neon lights in the form of a red cross.

elizabeth garouste and mattia bonetti , a design duo from paris, specialised in experimental and elegant design. gaining international recognition from the 1980s to the later 1990s, garouste and bonettis‘ designs can be described as unconventional and quirky with a dedication to craftsmanship. the historic piece oriflamme from 1994 features two pointed satin light covers in a red and orange pattern. historically oriflamme was a sacred banner of the abbey of st. denis, which the king of france utilised as a battle standard in the middle ages. garouste and bonetti transported the historic aspect into their new vision of the light sculpture.

ufo is an italian group founded in 1967 by lapo binazzi, riccardo foresi, titti maschietto, carlo bachi and patrizia cammeo following a wave of student protest within the caculty of architecture at the university of florence. the group intended to evoke a transformation of architecture into an act of urban and environmental guerilla. UFO designed the interiors of restaurants and discotheques with ephemeral sets and design pieces. showcased in the exhibition is the iconic paramount lamp created in 1979 for studio alchimias‘ bauhaus collection.

french artist thierry jeannot creates poetic designs with recycled materials and craftsmanship in his studio based in mexico city. jeannot explores the perception and value of materials by treating discarded and dismissed matter as precious. currently, the artist’s primary focus is on PET plastic bottles, involving his neighbourhood to have a ’natural‘ source of supply.
the exhibition features the mutation tower, a light sculpture made from individually handcrafted recycled plastic bottle parts assembled into a unique scale-like pattern.

sangmin oh is a korean artist and designer based in eindhoven who focuses on sculptural crafts, textiles techniques, colour exploration and architectural elements. the exhibition features b.dendrogyra from the knitted light series, a collaboration with the textile museum tilburg. in this series, the artist explores different yarns and their response to light to create a luminous coral reef. using a monofilament thread to knit the organic forms, the reflective property of the material produces a new texture when combined with light and different types of yarns. as coral reefs are losing their colour due to rising temperatures, these sculptural pieces embody and enlighten the beauty of nature.

italian artist michelangelo pistoletto is a leading figure in the development of arte povera and conceptualism. pistoletto’s design works reflect the unification of art and everyday life in terms of the total artwork, often using common and waste materials. the exhibition showcases the iconic light sculpture tutti designers, which comprises a neon lamp with a transformer in a suitcase. pistoletto designed the piece in 1989 for the meta-memphis collection.

london-based light artist moritz waldemeyer works with a philosophy of playful experimentation, forging links between technology, art, fashion and design. taking inspiration from the famous fabergé imperial eggs, waldemeyer created his technological egg. egg55 is made from a unique parametric design allowing steel components to be connected to custom circuit boards, transforming the piece from flat to a 3D object d’art. the visually pleasing steel object performa by carrying the electrical current throughout the structure and powering the embedded LED lights flooding the egg with luxurious colour.