At the age of 28, in Basel 2009, Nacho Carbonell was nominated the designer of the future. He was born in Valencia, Spain in 1980, and graduated with high honours from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2007. His outstanding handcrafted work is included in the permanent collections of the Fnac-Fonds national d’art contemporain, France, the Groninger Museum, Netherlands, the MoMA San Francisco, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Mint Museum.
Nacho Carbonell at The Armory Show. Photo: ©Rossana Orlandi
“Luciferase” and “Time is a Treasure” were two collections produced exclusively for Galerie BSL. Each work is a unique, handmade masterpiece. Nacho Carbonell breaks all conventions and brings to life iconic creatures. His works are narratives, experiments on materials, so they enchant our imagination, sensitivity and ability to dream, due to their tenderness and their poetry.
“Luciferase XLI” (2017). Made using sand, paverpol, colored pigment, silicone, steel structure and LEDs. Photo: ©Galerie BSL
“Luciferase” was Nach’s first work with lighting. It is an ecosystem of luminous organisms which intrigue the admirer thanks to their colors and textures. “The root of this word luciferase is ‘carrier of light’* and reflects the system used by flora and fauna living in the abyss, in the total obscurity found at greatest depths of the oceans. Even more than lights, I consider these pieces like creatures which glow with light.”
“Luciferase XXXIX” (2016). Made using epoxy resin, colored pigment, sand, silicone, steel structure and LEDs. Photo: ©Galerie BSL
The exterior soft, velvety materials of these pieces, made of silicone and resin mixed with sand, cork, plaster or metal dust, resemble the skin of unidentified species.
“Luciferase XXXII” (2012). Made using epoxy resin, colored pigment, sand, silicone, steel structure and LEDs. Photo: ©Galerie BSL
Detail of “Luciferase XXXII”. Photo: ©Galerie BSL
“Luciferase XLII” (2017). Made using sand, paverpol, colored pigment, silicone, shells, steel structure and LEDs. Photo: ©Galerie BSL
The interior delicate and translucent textures, created with silicone or epoxy resin mixed with colored pigments, are shaped as thorns, filaments and rocky surfaces. Some of them have a translucent sparkle of fine stones such as amethyst, quartz or malachite; others the seductive eye of a predator from the great depths; or even the avid mouth of a carnivorous plant.
“Luciferase XXIV-XXV” (2011). Made using epoxy resin, colored pigment, sand, metal and concrete dust, silicone, steel structure and LEDs. Photo: ©Galerie BSL
“Luciferase XXVIII” (2018). Made of paverpol, colored pigment, sand, silicone, steel structure and bulb. Photo: ©Galerie BSL
Photo: ©Galerie BSL
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