Ben Brown Fine Arts Until Nov 12

One can immediately feel a sense of humour, love and kinship upon walking into the latest exhibition by renowned French sculptors Claude Lalanne and François-Xavier Lalanne. Following their retrospective exhibition in Musée des Arts Décoratifs last year, on view are works produced since 1971 with new additions from this year. The synergistic interaction between the artworks, together with the maroon-painted walls, have displaced the otherwise solemn white gallery space into a microcosmic habitat immersed with animals and plants – in another word, life.

In the exhibition, the presence of life is not conveyed pictorially through images, but rather through the clever build-up between light and shadow. The meticulous details and incredible imagination seen in Claude Lalanne’s work – whether it be Chaise feuille bambou (gauche) (1995), a delicate bronze chair whose entire structure is based upon the graceful twist of tree branches and leaves, or in Miroir (2009), two three-metre-high mirrors embraced by the elegance of vines and petals – have redefined the traditional materiality of the medium, exemplifying the intimate relationship between the aesthetics of the works and their surroundings.

The functionality in Claude’s works, meanwhile, further invites intimacy and affection from the viewers. The bodily presence of works such as Table Ginkgo (1996), an aluminium table with the table-top composed of large lotus leaves sitting directly across from the gallery entrance, and Ginkgo (chaise) (1996), aluminium chairs also embedded in the shape of lotus leaves, are not confined by the mere surface of the sculpture, but rather surpass it through casting patterned shadows across the gallery’s wooden floor.

Tap dancing between Claude’s serene furnitures are François-Xavier’s playful animal sculptures and adornments. His works provide endless whimsical possibilities in the form and function of animals. La direction de l’ Escargot (1996), a bronze snail with an arrow sign on top, playfully sits under the gallery wall text, acting as a welcoming sign directing the viewers’ attention to the exhibition space. On the other hand, the seamless symmetry and simplicity in Gorille console (2005) highlight the artist’s technical skill in adorning animalistic form into function.

It’s not hard at all to imagine the passion from the two artists in the exhibition – while one artwork can suitably enhance and magnify the aesthetics of another, the flickering light on the chandelier can be seen in the reflection of the fading mirrors.

Piper Koh