Birthed from a collaborative project with the PHI Studio, Jean-Michel Othoniel and Phoebe Greenberg discuss the evolution of technology and its applications in art.
During the conversation, the two artists discuss both non-physical spaces, such as virtual reality, and physical spaces, then look at the relationship between the two to create a work of art.
From the development of a piece for the PHI Centre to the creation of a tool in collaboration with the Studio's teams, Othoniel and Greenberg explore new territories of artistic creation and look ahead to a technology-informed future for generations to come.
Jean-Michel Othoniel and his studio recently collaborated with PHI Studio during their visit to Montreal. Othoniel and Greenberg engaged in a conversation exploring the impact of technological advancements on the art world. Grounded in the context of Othoniel's visit to Montreal, their discussion delved into integrating non-physical spaces with physical environments and the potential of virtual reality technology to facilitate creative interplay. Together, they ventured into uncharted territories of artistic expression, envisioning a future where technology informs the practices of future generations.
Othoniel is no stranger to PHI, and this wasn't the first time that he and Greenberg had sat down to talk about their shared aspirations and vision. In 2017, Greenberg, a long-time acquaintance and admirer of Othoniel's work, approached him to create an artwork for the Centre. The piece aimed to symbolize the essence of the word PHI and drew inspiration from the Fibonacci sequence—the golden ratio. As an artist intrigued by the numerous historical threads between this symbol and Renaissance art's search for beauty in geometric perfection, Othoniel graciously accepted the challenge. The resulting piece, The Golden Spiral, stands tall as a monumental sculptural work at the heart of the PHI Centre, spanning three stories. After its installation, Greenberg and Othoniel reflected on his artistic vision, creative process, and the seamless integration of art and architecture.
During their conversation, he emphasized his intention to establish a dialogue between his artwork and the architectural elements of the space. His work skillfully blends the Centre's various architectural styles, highlighting the importance of viewer engagement and the transformative nature of his installations. Othoniel's artistic practice revolves around the interplay of light, and reflection, which allows him to explore the dynamic relationship between materials, space, and the viewer's perception.
By strategically placing his artwork over the stairs, viewers actively participate in the overall experience. As visitors ascend the staircase, they embark on a choreographed journey inspired by calligraphic movements, baroque dance, and their interrelationship with the infinite golden spiral.
This conversation is available wherever you listen to podcasts:
Spotify ↗ | PodBean ↗ | Apple Podcasts ↗
Jean-Michel Othoniel is a contemporary French artist who works in a variety of media. Employing materials such as glass, wax, and sulfur, Othoniel explores ideas of material transformation. “I want to seduce you with their beauty then lead you to other themes,” he has explained of his work. Born on January 27, 1964 in Saint-Étienne, France, he studied at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts in Cergy-Pontoise. He first gained attention for his sulfur sculptures exhibited at documenta 9 in Kassel in 1992. Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, Othoniel was included in numerous group and solo exhibitions with the theme of reconciling opposites. This is evinced in his work The Boat of Tears (2005), which attempts to bridge the poetic and political, as a tribute to Cuban exiles and a formal exercise in glass sculpture. The artist currently lives and works in Paris, France. Today, his works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, among others.
Phoebe Greenberg has been a pioneer and cultural visionary in Montreal for over 20 years. This cultural entrepreneur has founded two iconic spaces in the heart of Old Montreal, recognized for the quality of their programming and their avant-garde.
Passionate about contemporary art, Greenberg first founded the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art (formerly DHC/ART) in 2007, dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art both locally and internationally. The Foundation's annual programming includes two to three major exhibitions, public events, interdisciplinary collaborative projects, and educational activities. All the Foundation's offerings are free of charge. Over the past few years, the PHI Foundation has presented the works of some of the most renowned contemporary artists: Marc Quinn, Sophie Calle, John Currin, Ryoji Ikeda, Joan Jonas, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Yoko Ono and many others.
In 2012, she established the PHI Centre, a multidisciplinary arts and cultural hub. The institution brings together visual arts, film, music, design, and technology, to encourage encounters between disciplines, as well as between artists and the public. Through its innovative and inspiring programming, the public is invited to participate in thoughtful reflection on art in its new forms. The PHI Centre's programming is unique, unclassifiable, engaging, constantly evolving, and always relevant.
Now international in scope, the creative spaces founded by Phoebe Greenberg contribute to the democratization of the arts and their development, in addition to actively contributing to define Montreal as a true cultural metropolis.
PHI is deploying its expertise in presenting cutting-edge works abroad, through initiatives such as New York's Rockefeller Center, New York's Tribeca Festival, the programming and production of the Virtual Reality Pavilion at the Luxembourg City Film Festival as well as an ephemeral gallery during the 58th Venice Biennale.
Foundation
Gathering over forty recent works, DHC/ART’s inaugural exhibition by conceptual artist Marc Quinn is the largest ever mounted in North America and the artist’s first solo show in Canada
Foundation
Six artists present works that in some way critically re-stage films, media spectacles, popular culture and, in one case, private moments of daily life
Foundation
This poetic and often touching project speaks to us all about our relation to the loved one
Foundation
DHC/ART Foundation for Contemporary Art is pleased to present the North American premiere of Christian Marclay’s Replay, a major exhibition gathering works in video by the internationally acclaimed artist
Foundation
DHC/ART is pleased to present Particles of Reality, the first solo exhibition in Canada of the celebrated Israeli artist Michal Rovner, who divides her time between New York City and a farm in Israel
Foundation
The inaugural DHC Session exhibition, Living Time, brings together selected documentation of renowned Taiwanese-American performance artist Tehching Hsieh’s One Year Performances and the films of young Dutch artist, Guido van der Werve
Foundation
Eija-Liisa Ahtila’s film installations experiment with narrative storytelling, creating extraordinary tales out of ordinary human experiences
Foundation
For more than thirty years, Jenny Holzer’s work has paired text and installation to examine personal and social realities
