ron gilad: IX mirrors

‘IX mirrors’ by ron gilad dilmos, milan, italy april 12 – 17, 2011

one of the pieces in ron gilad’s ‘IX mirrors’

‘IX mirrors’ by israeli-born, new york-based artist ron gilad uses a series of ten embellished mirrors as a means of exploring self-reflection and perception, at milan’s dilmos gallery for salone del mobile 2011.

in a kind of departure from philosopher jacques lacan’s concept of the mirror stage, gilad opens the relation between the reflected image as a projection of only superficial, exterior forms and the idea that it might represent a deeper aspect of our lives.

the mirrors themselves, framed in unadorned wood, build an array of ancient fabrics, byzantine mosaics, sculptures, cords, and sconces directly into the reflective surface. as the pieces incorporate many materials historic to italy, another level of conceptual investigation of the project is the artistic and cultural past of the country, approached by gilad as a play between past and present.

full view of the project’s pieces

gilad’s play with shape, void, and scale affect our interaction with the mirrors

the works incorporate antique venetian fabrics, byzantine mosaics, cords, sconces, and models of roman sculptures

the visual interplay between the mirror embellishments and the reflections encourages viewers to consider the relationship between past and present: not only what is but also what might have been

detail on ‘mirror 2’