Les intemporelles
Coste
"Entering the realm of art through the serial object is an act of beauty."
This principle, stated by Pierre Restany, the theorist of Nouveau Réalisme, has been embraced by COSTE. Fascinated by the transparency of plexiglass, COSTE designs his creations in volume. The primary feature of his sculptures lies in the contiguity of materials, creating a dialectic between the visible and the invisible. The eye questions this optical topography of void and solid: what is the visible element of this invisible structure? The suspended object we see, or the block of plexiglass we can only sense behind the purity of its lines?
To further intrigue the viewer, COSTE sometimes alters the objects themselves or breaks his plexiglass blocks. The fractured transparency then becomes a privileged link between the embedded object and its support.
The choice of object is far from neutral. COSTE highlights a series of items symbolizing the industrial world—screws, screwdrivers, bolts. By imprisoning these everyday objects in this pristine substance, he removes them from reality. When COSTE plants a series of screwdrivers into a plexiglass block, the screwdriver does not lose its identity, but rather its function as a tool.
The artist’s gesture transforms the serial object into a representation of an object. Transposed, the object shifts into the timeless.
Wolek
The major turning point in his career came when he began collaborating with the prestigious Daum crystal glassworks. This company, renowned for its exceptional expertise in crystal, offered Woleck a platform to experiment and develop his unique inclusion techniques.
With Daum, Woleck perfected the art of suspending different elements within crystal, creating works that appear to defy gravity and capture light in a spectacular way.
Woleck’s inclusions are distinguished by their ability to suspend various elements such as fragments of vegetation, everyday objects, or even abstract forms, giving his creations an almost magical dimension. His work is often described as a subtle interplay between transparency and opacity, where each inclusion tells a story or evokes a particular emotion.
Today, Richard Woleck continues to explore and push the boundaries of this medium. His works are exhibited in prestigious galleries and are part of private collections around the world. Each piece he creates is an invitation to step into a world where time seems suspended, and where matter and light unite to create timeless beauty.
Woopee
Witness of the Consumer Age
Woopee approaches art as living testimony, collecting and transforming the overlooked remnants of the contemporary world. Woopee is a contemporary artist whose work explores the material poetry of the consumer age.
Woopee’s creative universe is also deeply rooted in the memories and sensations of his childhood. Early encounters with everyday objects—whether humble toys, peculiar household items, or the playful chaos of consumer packaging—sparked a fascination with collecting, assembling, and transforming things. These formative experiences cultivated an instinct to see the poetic potential hidden in what others discard or overlook.
Woopee recalls the joy of discovery, the impulse to gather and sort, and a curiosity for how objects hold secret stories about the people who use them. This playful, inquisitive spirit persists in his artistic process today, infusing his accumulations and installations with both innocence and wonder. By connecting the imaginative habits of childhood with the realities of present-day consumer culture, Woopee creates work that resonates with universal experiences of memory, belonging, and transformation.