2024-08-23 07:00:00
It’s hard not to be captivated by Ora ïto’s trajectory. In 1997, he began a journey of unparalleled audacity by hacking the biggest luxury brands with a series of virtual works well before the metaverse. His « Virtual Products « disrupt conventions and propel the 19-year-old to the forefront of the world stage. He is the first “digital” artist whose works are included in the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou and reflect an avant-garde vision. But for this visionary artist, this was only the beginning.
Through his collaborations, Ora ïto asserts himself as a bold innovator, constantly pushing the boundaries of contemporary aesthetics. Each of his creations is a sculpture in itself. Iconic objects ranging from the case of the legendary terracotta powder to Guerlain perfume, to the greatest Italian furniture publishers such as Cassina, Cappellini, Artemide or even a tableware set for Christofle. But his influence does not stop there. The Ora ïto studio’s imprint can also be found in the field of architecture and mobility, where he leaves his mark by designing Pathé cinemas, the Marseille metro, even going so far as to pierce the city of Nice from the airport to the port for his tramway in collaboration with Alstom, or even creating a flying saucer for Citroën! Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, Ora ïto contributes to the artistic heritage of the Phocaean city by founding the MAMO in 2013 (an art center nestled on the roof terrace of the Cité Radieuse designed by Le Corbusier), thus enriching the cultural landscape of Marseille. Space Invaders, Daniel Arsham, Xavier Veilhan, Jean-Pierre Raynaud, Dan Graham, Sterling Ruby, Urs Fischer, Olivier Mosset, Alex Israel, ZEVS, Felice Varini were given carte blanche by Ito who subsequently forged privileged links with his artists. Notably with Daniel Buren, this beautiful complicity gave birth to a fruitful collaboration on various architectural projects.
Each project is a testament to his commitment to pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation. As he himself says: “I have always considered myself a designer, but I use architecture and design as a medium. After creating this world it seemed obvious to me to return to forms, my volumetric language that characterizes all my work as a designer but without the function, without the industry, without the commercialization, without the brand.”
In a first exhibition ” Grammatology“, his art takes on its full meaning. We discover the Ora ïto Alphabet which goes far beyond the status of a simple series of sculptural forms. Like letters that together create words, his works are forms that create the language of the time. The artist reveals a new facet of his creative genius, transcending the limits of reality to immerse us in a universe that AI cannot imitate, an invitation to return to the sources where simplicity is elevated to the rank of art. This is the magic of Ora ïto who, through his works, amazes us with the beauty of the world and its most elementary geometric forms ■⬤▲, omnipresent in the architecture and objects that surround us.
This time, he does not pirate brands, but art itself, exploring archetypal forms such as the line, the circle, the square and the rectangle. Through his virtuosity, he manages to breathe an unprecedented freshness into these familiar elements, thus offering a perspective never before explored. Technikart cannot neglect the technical aspect, where the mineral body contrasts with the bright colors, while ensuring a harmonious junction between the monochrome forms. A categorical statement emanates from the artist: “More than a monochrome, I could not.” The hues display a straightforward purity. Their brilliance sublimates the rigor of the forms, infusing the whole with a pop touch, a tribute to Andy Warhol.
This vision of a new sculptural language where words become abstract and forms become poetry, can be discovered from May 15 to July 15, 2024 at the Galerie Podgorny in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Ora ïto chose Saint-Paul-de-Vence, his favorite village, to reconnect with his childhood memories. It is there, on the same street where his grandfather, the eminent owner of the Frédéric Golon gallery, illuminated his walls with the creations of Max Ernst, Jean Arp and Picasso, that the artist chose to lay the foundations of his own home to live there for part of the year. This city where so many artistic geniuses have resided, Matisse, Braque, Chagall, Calder, Miro, Modigliani, Picasso, Prévert and many others, is in itself already an open-air museum, just like the MAMO. Saint-Paul de Vence will continue to enrich itself by hosting sculptures for an off-site exhibition in the Lavoir.
A must-see in the south of France to witness a new era where the boundaries between design, architecture and art are fading, to make way for limitless creativity, where every shape, every color, every line tells a story.
“Grammatology” at the Podgorny Gallery,
General de Gaulle Square, 06570 Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
@podgornygallery @ora_ito
By Victoire Partouche
1724598488
#Art #Ora #ïto #Reality #Reinvention
