Behind The Case
CIBONE interviewed us at our atelier, and the content has been published in Behind The CASE.
We discussed Gleichenia's creative process and the concepts behind the works being presented in this exhibition. You can read more in the text and link below.
——Behind The CASE——
This exhibition, the first of its kind at CIBONE CASE, presents two series, CAIRN and IN WATER, under the theme of "Traces of Light."
While exploring how to successfully merge expressions that utilize their respective backgrounds in sculpture and space, the duo discovered the appeal of jewelry as a medium that can condense various elements such as technique, design, concept, and theory into minimal expression. They have continued to experiment with combinations of various materials, moving their hands in pursuit of unseen expressions.
Glass, which they arrived at through this process, is the material through which they feel they can most sense "light."
The collections born from their perspectives and sensibilities begin with universal memories and episodes, and like a single drop that becomes the catalyst, eventually flowing into a great river, they continue to expand with continuity.
In this exhibition, we present objects and jewelry, including new works, that allow you to feel the beautiful forms and silhouettes that emerge when light penetrates stones standing by the riverside and the water flowing gently beside them, as well as the stories that the works possess.
The series inspired by stones called "CAIRN" that are stacked by human hands along riverbanks and mountain trails finds meaning not only in their beauty as sculptural forms, but also in the narrative quality that exists between seemingly unrelated elements.
Things stacked as one pleases, upon which someone else adds more, connecting to the next person's waymarker.
Even without correct answers or rules, the way forms naturally emerge through accumulation over time feels connected to their own creative process.
CAIRN, imbued with the message of serving as waymarkers for both past trajectories and future paths, contains a gentle light that accompanies the individual stories envisioned by those who hold them.
The IN WATER series deliberately uses "devitrification," a phenomenon where glass used in window panes becomes opaque through crystallization—generally not considered a quality product—as a characteristic of the work, expressing clear and stagnant areas like the flow of river water.
This series began with finding common ground in the origins of glass and soap.
Glass, said to originate from sand grains formed in water over long years and plant ash melting and solidifying, and soap, said to be born when soil infiltrated with sheep fat and ash was washed by rain and deposited in rivers.
Inspired by these origins, the glass object called SOAP, with its freshness as if it had just passed through water and a form that fits smoothly in the hand, is a work that contemplates the appeal of things that would originally be gradually lost, like soap.
These series employ pâte de verre, an ancient casting glass technique whose name means "glass paste" in French.
By filling plaster molds with glass powder and firing them, fine bubbles are incorporated, creating a distinctive texture with depth.
Because the required time and temperature control differ for each work depending on the glass properties, size, and compatibility of blended colors, for them—who continue to approach without being bound by traditional techniques or existing methods—each piece is experimental and an object of curiosity, and they say they find value precisely in what emerges between chance and control.
Since plaster molds are broken when removing the works, the same piece cannot be made again.
This transience, the time invested until the work is completed, and the crystallization of their continued hand movements emit unique charm.
Creativity born from the unintended, and accidental fusion with different elements that occurs at unexpected moments, can sometimes bring new sensibilities that transcend experience and knowledge.
Gleichenia's duo never misses these moments, accepting them with curiosity and continuing careful observation, showing us landscapes with depth that can only be created by those with different qualities.
Please take this opportunity to view their "Traces of Light."
https://www.cibone.com/news_exhibition/8641/
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『Traces in Flowing Light』
CIBONE CASE @cibone_tokyo
Period: June 7 (Sat) - June 22 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 10:30-20:30
Location: 6-10-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo GINZA SIX 4F
