Irene Cattaneo: Les Bienfaits de la Lune

For her inaugural solo presentation at Galerie Gastou, Irene Cattaneo has taken a poetic turn. Her inspiration comes from the great French symbolist Charles Baudelaire, whose 1869 poem Les Bienfaits de la Lune describes a child graced by moonlight, which sets her on a lifelong path of aesthetic encounter. 

 Taking this suggestive text as her point of departure, Cattaneo has created a magical suite of objects in a range of materials - bronze, glass, onyx, upholstery - all transmuted to give the effect of an enchanted nature. To enter the exhibition is like stepping into a pool of moonlight, surrounded by animate forms.

Cattaneo is of Italian heritage, but was raised in Germany and trained at Central Saint Martin's, in London; now she arrives in Paris, in grand style. This cosmopolitan outlook is reflected in her mastery of several traditional craft processes, notably metal casting, glass blowing, and stone carving, which she sometimes combines with advanced digital technology.

Her intensive research and form development have generated an impressive body of work, subtle and indeed poetic in its narrative implications, but tremendously powerful in its physical presence. Cattaneo has been a rising star for several years; with this exhibition, she takes her place in the design firmament, sharing her illumination with us all.

The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Lo Studio-Nadja Romain (Venice).