In each piece of German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic’s latest collection of Bleu de Savoie stone creations, there is a mysterious utilitarian purpose for viewers to discover. The works take centerstage in his fifth solo exhibition at Galerie kreo in Paris. Combining his characteristic style of utility, simplicity and abstraction, the exhibition titled “Volumes” will be on view until September 11, 2018.“There is a small but significant detail on Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni’s Arco lamp which Konstantin Grcic admires. A hole runs through the solid rectangular marble base, wide enough for a broomstick to fit through such that two people can then use it to lift the stone. It’s a humorous contradiction — the suave and luxurious marble making room for such a humble device to add something to the lamp’s functionality,” says the gallery.Details like this make up the kind of finer touch that works from Grcic always offer viewers. “This detail is one that Grcic has applied to the six objects in the new ‘VOLUMES’ collection for Galerie kreo,” the gallery adds.The work has been executed in solid Bleu de Savoie stone. For the final artworks, all of the pieces in the puzzle will have the same void, the same circular volume of mass cut through their bases.Inspiration was undoubtedly from something more domestic, while “Arco” is a lamp, the derivative, “VOLUMES,” has no such apparent functionality, certainly not as domestic as its inspiration — the lamp. Instead, pieces of mass stand upon the floor while the functionality of the works remain open-ended for speculative propositions.“While Grcic is well-known for engineering, his industrial designs down to the smallest detail, he saw this project as an exercise in simplicity, both in expression and construction. The idea was to create objects that could be made using a singular material, without added structures or supports — they are sculpted rather than constructed,” says the gallery.“I instantly thought of these objects as made out of stone,” says Grcic. “As such they are cut away from a solid block rather than built up from different elements and components, which is my normal way of thinking and doing.”“‘VOLUMES’ is an experiment in abstraction and one that is quite different to other collections that Grcic has created for Galerie kreo. The abstraction of ‘VOLUMES’ is, therefore, an intriguing turn away from the cerebral and towards the instinctive — towards making objects of uncertain use,” says Johanna Agerman Ross, Curator of Twentieth Century and Contemporary Furniture.“Volumes” will run through September 11, 2018, at Galerie kreo Paris, 31 Rue Dauphine, 75006 Paris, France.For details, visit: http://www.blouinartinfo.com/galleryguide/galerie-kreo/overviewClick on the slideshow for a sneak peek into the artworks.http://www.blouinartinfo.comFounder Louise Blouin
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