It’s hard to ignore the level of texture in Grégoire Scalabre’s sculptures. Even from afar, his voluminous and otherworldly pieces shoot out toward us, their soft spikes, valleys, and curves as captivating as mountain ranges. Look closer, and these forms begin to resemble impossibly tiny vases, wrapped so meticulously around the artwork’s surface that they almost seem to be vibrating.
Only the most accomplished of ceramists can accomplish such fluidity—and it’s clear that Scalabre is one of them. The Paris-based artist first gravitated toward ceramics at 16 years old, creating what he considers to be “utilitarian containers” that are “omnipresent around us and that are part of the rituals of our everyday life.” Later, Scalabre developed a deep fascination with Greek mythology, which manifested itself as the amphora-like shapes he still sculpts. These amphorae often spread across his sculptures like undulating fields, where each vase is distinct, minuscule, and unlike any other. Strengthening the connection to these ancient Greek traditions are Scalabre’s artwork titles, often referencing mythological figures or narratives.
Originally sculpted in 2022, The Final Metamorphoses of Thetis is Scalabre’s homage to the Greek sea nymph Thetis. The monumental piece incorporates more than 70,000 individual vases, doused in rich greens and sheer whites. The color gradation from white to green and back again emphasizes the varying depths and minerality of the sea, while the sculpture’s shape swells and retreats like an ocean wave. And, even though it seems remarkably precise, The Final Metamorphoses was, in fact, much more intuitive to create.
“It is a free composition with no predetermined pattern,” Scalabre told My Modern Met in a previous interview. “This is done instinctively by associating and juxtaposing shapes and colors from the palette collected during firing. The pieces are organized, they interact with each other, and a language develops on the surface.”
Cygnus, whose name is pulled from the constellation and the Latin word for “swan,” is equally compelling, but is doused entirely in black. With its circular shape and hollow center, the sculpture is reminiscent of the night sky or a black hole, where the amphorae almost strike us as tentacles or unfamiliar life forces. Still, because Cygnus is delicate in its composition, the sculpture isn’t threatening, instead encouraging us to think of what may lie beyond.
“I allow myself the freedom to play with surface effects and to imagine different mediums,” Scalabre explained in an interview with Ignant. “You soon realize that when you imagine different materials, you have another way of apprehending the shape and its contours.”
To learn more about the artist, visit Grégoire Scalabre’s website and follow him on Instagram.
Inspired by Greek mythology, French artist Grégoire Scalabre creates amphora-like vases for his monumental and remarkably voluminous sculptures.
Each vase that Scalabre crafts is distinct, minuscule, and unlike any other, creating fascinating textures and shapes across his sculptures.
“I allow myself the freedom to play with surface effects and to imagine different mediums,” Scalabre has said.
Grégoire Scalabre: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Grégoire Scalabre.
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