Monumental yet delicate, baroque yet minimal, poetic yet political, his contemplative forms, like oxymorons, have the power to reconcile opposites. While his dedication to site-specific commissions for public spaces has led some of his work to take an almost architectural turn, Jean-Michel Othoniel’s holistic sensibility further compares to feng shui or the art of harmonizing people with their environment, in his case allowing viewers to inhabit his world through reflection and motion.

Born in 1964 in Etienne, France,  Othoniel currently lives and works in Paris; he is represented by Perrotin Gallery in New York. Othoniel's most recent solo shows include Face à l'obscurité at the Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain de Saint-Etienne in Saint-Etienne, France; Othoniel at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal in Montreal, Canada; and Dark Matters at Galerie Perrotin in New York. His works are included in the permanent collections of international art institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. 

Courtesy of Perrotin