C. Gallery Opens in Melbourne with Debut Show ‘Unconventional Illusions’.

Installation view of Unconventional Illusions at C. Gallery, featuring Jenny Nordberg and José Manuel Castro López.

Under the creative direction of Rachael Fry of Criteria fame, C. Gallery has opened its doors to showcase prominent and emerging artists, both Australian and international, working to elevate quotidian mediums through unexpected forms. Through the newly expanded focus, C. Gallery will focus on Sculpture, Decorative and Applied Arts as a natural complement to Criteria’s long-standing interest in collectible design and art.

“Creating a space to connect collectors to beautiful, unique design has never felt more timely — as our lives have been fragmented and disconnected, we find solace in warm materiality, in seeking the soul of the interior,” says Rachel.

Committed to exhibiting works that exemplify the high standards of artistry, coherence of vision and technique, the new gallery space dovetails physically and metaphorically into Criteria’s Cremorne showroom.

C. Gallery debut show, Unconventional Illusions, features the work of Swedish artist Jenny Nordberg and Spanish artist José Manuel Castro Lopéz.

Jenny Nordberg (b 1978) is an internationally acclaimed conceptual artist and industrial designer whose practice is driven by a search for counterstrategies to the irresponsibility of mass production. Her mirror series, 3 to 5 Seconds: Rapid Handmade Production, began in 2014, seeking to explore the possibilities of individual automation, enforcing a strict self-imposed rule that each piece must be produced in three to five minutes to match the pace of typical factory fabrication.

As part of Unconventional Illusions, Nordberg presents Eight pieces in two opposing mediums; mirrors and pewter sculpture. Her mirrors are created using an adaptation of a 19th-century technique; a process involving applying a fine layer of liquid silver over the glass. The solution quickly evaporates, leaving individual free-form layers of reflection on the glass surface, achieving an ethereal and minimalist effect.

Pairing with the mirrors are three pewter sculptures, creating a sort of negative solid form of the organic image created in the mirror. Cast in the surprisingly pliant metal, these brutalist forms and their softly light-absorbent shapes create an inscrutable tension and an alluring conversation.

Above: 3-5 second mirror by Jenny Norberg. Left: Detail of Pewter Puddle by Jenny Norberg.

José Manuel Castro Lopéz (b. 1959) is a Spanish sculptor working in solid granite and quartz. Through meticulous hand-carving, he creates illusory objects flaunting lush folds and sensuous draping which belie their humble materiality.

Each object begins as a piece of so-called “country granite” found in abundance in the hills near Lopez’s native Galicia. Historically used to build cathedrals, Lopéz coaxes a spirit of a different kind from the stone itself, gently responding to its natural contours to create smooth and supple shapes that elicit the impression of human touch.

“For me, stone is an element of inspiration around which my creation and my life evolve… softening la roca is a transgression and a magical way of relating to her; I am not the sculptor, they are the ones who manifest themselves. We understand each other,” explains Lopéz.

In Unconventional Illusions, the artist has created seven granite sculptures, including some that incorporate metal elements appearing to pierce and compress the stone. The effect is a fascinating and almost magical beauty; the velvety finish of the stones suggest a natural erosion, serendipity evocative of the Postmodern Environmental artists but brimming with personality and charm.

Despite their material disparity, the work of Nordberg and Lopéz exist in a harmonious symbiosis: the gravity of the stone is offset by the atemporal glow of the silvered mirrors and their pewter reflections. Both artists elevate ordinary mediums to create beautiful and interrogative works of art.

Unconventional Illusions is on show at C. Gallery until November 19th, 2021. For more information, visit criteriacollection.com.au/c-gallery.

Above and left: ‘Skin of the Stone’ sculptures by José Manuel Castro Lopéz.

[Images courtesy of Criteria.]