BoysCraft

Lionel Estève

Lionel Estève is known for magical sculptural works composed of colorful beads, which hang from the ceiling like mobiles or chandeliers. Here, he foregoes these ethereal constructions in favor of heavy, static objects that are positioned on the ground. Estève engages in a meditative process that involves studying the forms of particular stones and the area in which they originated - in this case, the inactive volcanoes of the Golan Heights. He treats them as representatives of nature, and envelops them in a delicate handicraft work that charges them with new ecological meanings. The silver threads he knits around the stones make them appear, according to Estève, like "tiny pieces that reflect flickering starlight and the envelope that surrounds the Earth at night." His meticulous manual work process, which involves a multitude of tiny elements, may be read as an alternative to large Romantic gestures, a celebration of small details as a metaphor for what is truly significant.

Born in Lyon, France, 1967; lives and works in Brussels