Obsidian I and Obsidian II

The imagery in the prints Obsidian I and Obsidian II derives from one of two monumental chandeliers on which Ai Weiwei started working in 2017 in collaboration with Berengo Studio on the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon. Known for his practice of working with skilled craftsmen in all disciplines, the long history of glass blowing in the Venetian and specifically Murano inspired him to create his own work in glass, the two monumental chandelier one 9 meters high and 6 meters wide the other 2.5 meters high that would be be a challenge to received ideas on the function of chandeliers, namely, to cast light, as well as being a challenge to the glass blowers at the Studio. In 1724 Giuseppe Briati, one of the most famous producers of chandeliers, created what would become known as the Rezzonico Chandelier, decorated with garlands, flowers and leaves. Such chandeliers are still being produced today.

As described by the Ai Weiwei Studio: “Contrary to the Latin stem of the word “chandelier,” candere, which means “be white, glisten, Ai Weiwei’s chandelier is black, a color which absorbs all the light. A glass assemblage of human skulls, skeletons, animal bones, internal organs and crabs, this artwork reimagines the classic Venetian glass chandelier and reverses the object’s function and connotations.” In the tradition of Vanitas paintings of the 17th.century and memento mori, it may be seen as a reflection on the troubled times in which we live. 

Co-published  by Ai Weiwei and Adamson Editions, Obsidian I and Obsidian II started when Ai Weiwei and Adamson met to discuss potential projects.  Ai Weiwei showed Adamson photographs of the massive chandeliers and asked if it was possible to make a print that could do justice to the originals. Size was of the issue and the decision was to first make an edition based on the 2.5-meter-tall chandelier and produce it as close to life size as possible. This edition would become in Ai Weiwei’s words a map that would provide a unique macroscopic preview of the chandelier before it has been exhibited. The first step in the printmaking process was to have it photographed in extremely high resolution at the factory in Murano. These raw images would show two different aspects of the work at a resolution enabling the smallest detail to be revealed down to the dust particles speckling the dense black glass. The extensive process of proofing happened to coincide with Adamson’s use of a new black pigment and custom print software that enabled the production of the richest blacks ever printed by Adamson editions. This led to the choice of Obsidian as the title of the two prints as not only is obsidian the blackest natural substance on earth, this naturally occurring volcanic glass has been used for a multitude of purposes since prehistoric times, from stone age axes to contemporary surgical instruments and as mirrors that allowed Mayan shamans a view into the underworld.