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    From Aluminum and Acrylic, Mariko Mori Conjures the Metaphysical and Otherworldly in ‘Radiance’

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    “Unity IX” (2024), UV-cured pigment, Dibond, and aluminum, 63 1/2 inches diameter, edition of 5 with 2 AP. All images courtesy of the artist and Sean Kelly, shared with permission

    From Aluminum and Acrylic, Mariko Mori Conjures the Metaphysical and Otherworldly in ‘Radiance’

    November 5, 2025

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Where technology, time, the cosmos, and perception meet, you’ll find the work of Japanese artist Mariko Mori. The artist has long been interested in the relationship between the individual and the universe—existence itself—which she explores through a range of mediums and immersive experiences. She also draws from the Buddhist philosophy of interconnectedness, which centers around the idea that no living being, object, or event exists in isolation. Everything is linked.

    A recent series of dreamy tondos and luminescent acrylic sculptures make up the artist’s current solo exhibition, Radiance, at Sean Kelly. Comprising abstract, symmetrical, metaphysical forms in bright pastel hues, Mori’s circular Unity compositions emphasize beauty, interdependence, and transcendence.

    “Love II” (2025), Dichroic-coated layered acrylic in two parts with Corian base, 70 7/8 x 29 11/16 x 23 3/8 inches, edition of 1 with 1 AP

    This body of work delves into Japan’s ancient cultures, especially prehistoric and early historic eras. Mori extensively researched a number of ancient periods during which artistic, philosophical, and social advances took place, like the Jomon era (14,000 to 300 B.C.E.) and Yayoi period (300 B.C.E. to 300 C.E.). She also delved into relatively more recent eras, like the Kofun (250 to 538 C.E.) and Asuka (538 to 710 C.E.) periods.

    “Informed by site visits to sacred geological formations across the Japanese archipelago, including the storied rocks of Okinoshima Island and the shrines of Izumo and Awaji, Mori focuses on these ancestral sites through a contemporary lens,” the gallery says. On Okinoshima, Mori observed sacred rocks known as iwakura, which are believed to contain kami—deities or spirits.

    Mori’s Stone series, like “Love II,” re-envision iwakura within the context of the gallery. Made of solid, translucent acrylic that reflects and diffracts light in an almost prismatic effect, visitors are invited into a contemplative experience. “Their dichroic surfaces shift with ambient light and the viewer’s movement, reimagining invisible energies that recall the stones’ original function as portals to the sacred,” says a statement.

    Radiance continues through December 20 in New York. Find more on Mori’s website and Instagram.

    “Unity II” (2024), UV-cured pigment, Dibond, and aluminum, 63 1/2 inches diameter, edition of 5 with 2 AP

    “Kamitate Stone I” (2025), Dichroic-coated layered acrylic and Corian base, 70 7/8 x 28 7/8 x 24 5/8 inches, edition of 1 with 1 AP

    “Unity VII” (2024), UV-cured pigment, Dibond, and aluminum, 63.5 inches diameter, edition of 5 with 2 AP

    “Unity VIII” (2024), UV-cured pigment, Dibond, and aluminum, 63 1/2 inches diameter, edition of 5 with 2 AP

    Installation view of “Shrine” (2025), silk, aluminum, wood, two Dichroic-coated acrylic sculptures, and Corian bases, approx. 74 13/16 x 362 3/16 x 189 inches. Photo by Jason Wyche

    “Unity I” (2024), UV-cured pigment, Dibond, and aluminum, 63 1/2 inches diameter, edition of 5 with 2 AP

    “Oshito Stone III” (2025), Dichroic-coated layered acrylic and Corian base, 43 5/16 x 34 7/16 x 35 13/16 inches, edition of 3 with 1 AP

    Installation view of ‘Radiance’ at Sean Kelly. New York. Photo by Jason Wyche

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      in Art

      From Reviled to Revered, an Enormous Pigeon Perches Atop the High Line

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      “Dinosaur.” All photos by Timothy Schneck, courtesy of the High Line, shared with permission

      From Reviled to Revered, an Enormous Pigeon Perches Atop the High Line

      October 21, 2024

      ArtNature

      Grace Ebert

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      The latest sculpture to grace New York City’s High Line is a monumental tribute to an unlikely creature.

      Perched above 10th Avenue, a hyper-realistic pigeon stops to rest in the outdoor pavilion. The work of artist Iván Argote (previously), the hand-painted, aluminum bird is titled “Dinosaur” and looms 21 feet in the air, rivaling the enormous proportions of some of its ancestors.

      Argote is known for questioning the role of monuments and statues, particularly as they relate to colonial histories and power imbalances. For this work, he upends the human-animal relationship and notions of migration and value as the common street bird is vaulted into a glorified figure, peering down on pedestrians and drivers. The artist says in a statement:

      The name “Dinosaur” makes reference to the sculpture’s scale and to the pigeon’s ancestors who millions of years ago dominated the globe, as we humans do today… the name also serves as a reference to the dinosaur’s extinction. Like them, one day we won’t be around anymore, but perhaps a remnant of humanity will live on—as pigeons do—in the dark corners and gaps of future worlds.

      Despite their ubiquity throughout North American cities, pigeons aren’t native to the continent. The birds were initially brought from Europe as a barnyard animal and food source, but as they escaped into the wild, they grew into the scavenging flocks they are today. No longer domesticated and not quite wild, pigeons occupy a unique position.

      Argote’s work is a cheeky nod to the birds and suggests they’re more deserving of appreciation than some of the figures we’ve collectively honored in the past. Standing tall and confident atop a concrete plinth, the sculpture also serves as a reminder that “everyone is an immigrant,” a statement says. “Even the pigeon, a New York fixture, initially migrated here and made the city their home, like millions of other ‘native’ New Yorkers.”

      “Dinosaur” will be on view through spring. Find more from Argote on Instagram.

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    • 188 Shares99 Views

      in Art

      Entangled Figures Grasp a Small Footbridge Above a Philadelphia Street in Miguel Horn’s New Installation

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      Art

      #aluminum
      #installation
      #public art
      #sculpture
      #site-specific
      #street art

      August 31, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      All images courtesy of Streets Dept, shared with permission
      Clinging to a concrete footbridge in Philadelphia are two groups of figures in tangled clusters. The striking installation is attached to a 20-foot walkway arched over 1200 Cuthbert Street in City Center and is the latest work of artist Miguel Horn, who is known for his fragmented sculptures and large-scale installations comprised of CNC-cut plates. Each of the forms in “ContraFuerte” features topographic layers constructed with thousands of stacked aluminum pieces—Horn shares much of his process from initial sketches to clay prototypes on Instagram—which fuse together to create figures that appear in the midst of struggle. Similar to the artist’s previous works that directly respond to their location, the oversized piece is designed to “grapple with the task to sustain, or raise up a bridge that spans the width of the street,” Horn says. (via Streets Dept)

      #aluminum
      #installation
      #public art
      #sculpture
      #site-specific
      #street art

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