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IX Mirrors by Ron Gilad

From April 12-17, Dilmos in Milan will feature the exhibition IX Mirrors by Ron Gilad, an exhibition that questions the mirror as a reflection of more than just physical appearance.

From the release:

In the very beginning of life, we first become aware of our existence by being mirrored in the eyes and faces of those around us. The foundation of the sense of who we are in the world begins here. As our awareness grows, the mirror as an object becomes an additional tool for self reflection.

In this series, “9 mirrors,” Gilad suggests that the mirrored image contains a hypocrisy which reflects only our exterior selves. He is asking us to contemplate a more complex and poetic possibility of reality. The title, like the nine lives of a cat, represents the possibility of inner lives or the soul of the mirror.

Gilad’s mirrors are simple rectangular wooden frames that have been injected with stories. The reflection of the spectator is no longer only objective but contains more than the present. The functional aspect becomes secondary; the cords over the glass, the voided gilded frames and the bronze sconce in front of the user’s face are not here to decorate the mirrors.

Some of the mirrors contain historical references combining the present with the past; a reference to other lives besides our own. Others play with structure, distorting our perception of the mirror as an object.

In almost every aspect of his work Gilad investigates scale and he plays with it in order to examine the boundaries of our perception. From a design point of view, scale is finding good proportions. Gilad ignores the right proportions, going to an extreme that might lead to absurd and ironic situations.

The collaboration with Dilmos Gallery led Gilad to explore the artistic and cultural past of Italy. In his mirrors, he incorporates antique Venetian fabrics, Byzantine mosaics made in Ravenna, hand sculpted figures modeled after classic Roman sculptures, while maintaining his own artistic authenticity. For him, the act of quoting the past has two roles, giving respect to it and serving his urge to playfully redefine it.

Our understanding of a mirror is that it’s reflecting the “now”, “the moment.” In these mirrors the “now” is being infused with the “was” or the “might have been”…

These pieces are just suggestions, not solutions and are meant to be open-ended.

Jaime Derringer, Founder + Executive Editor of Design Milk, is a Jersey girl living in SoCal. She dreams about funky, artistic jewelry + having enough free time to enjoy some of her favorite things—running, reading, making music, and drawing.