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Lot Essay
En 1997, Jean-Michel Othoniel est invité par l’université d’Hawaï pour une exposition collective d’artistes français intitulée Crossing’97. France/Hawaï. Invité spécifiquement pour son travail sur le verre, il va créer cette série de colliers-seins spécialement pour cette exposition. Pour ce projet, il va mêler culture hawaïenne en fabriquant des colliers de bienvenue, et technique américaine du verre de Tiffany (un verre opaque à l’apparence proche de l’albâtre) « Ce verre avait perdu tout ce qui fait sa force : sa transparence, le rapport à la pièce précieuse, au bijou » (Jean-Michel Othoniel in Othoniel, ouvrage accompagnant l’exposition My way au Centre Pompidou, mars-mai 2011, p. 157). Ce verre transformé représente le sentiment de l’artiste face à cette authentique terre hawaïenne devenue une terre d’exploitation et de loisirs. Il va ainsi créer cinq grands colliers dont chaque perle représente un sein surmonté d’un téton, qu’il disposera sur des bambous dans le jardin de l’Université.
In 1997 Jean-Michel Othoniel was invited by the University of Hawaii to take part in a group exhibition of French artists, called Crossing’97. France/Hawaii. Invited specifically for his work with glass, he created this series of colliers-seins (breast necklaces) especially for this exhibition. For this project he blended Hawaiian and American culture by making welcome garlands, or lei, and the technique of Tiffany glass (an opaque glass that looks very similar to alabaster) “This glass had lost all that gave it its strength: its transparency, the relationship to a precious object, to jewellery” (Jean-Michel Othoniel, in Othoniel, a book accompanying the exhibition My Way at the Centre Pompidou, March-May 2011, p. 157). This transformed glass represents the artist’s feelings on coming face to face with the authentic land of Hawaii turned into a land of commercial exploitation and leisure. This led to him creating five large necklaces in which each pearl represents a breast with a nipple on the top, that he will place on bamboos in the University garden.
In 1997 Jean-Michel Othoniel was invited by the University of Hawaii to take part in a group exhibition of French artists, called Crossing’97. France/Hawaii. Invited specifically for his work with glass, he created this series of colliers-seins (breast necklaces) especially for this exhibition. For this project he blended Hawaiian and American culture by making welcome garlands, or lei, and the technique of Tiffany glass (an opaque glass that looks very similar to alabaster) “This glass had lost all that gave it its strength: its transparency, the relationship to a precious object, to jewellery” (Jean-Michel Othoniel, in Othoniel, a book accompanying the exhibition My Way at the Centre Pompidou, March-May 2011, p. 157). This transformed glass represents the artist’s feelings on coming face to face with the authentic land of Hawaii turned into a land of commercial exploitation and leisure. This led to him creating five large necklaces in which each pearl represents a breast with a nipple on the top, that he will place on bamboos in the University garden.