Gil Presti is pleased to present Bas-reliefs, a solo exhibition of new works by Karen Swami. Striving to go beyond the form of her usual practice, the smoked ceramic bas-reliefs reveal the lines of gold sliding across the grey and white shaded surfaces as if they were abstract paintings.

Once treated with heat, the clay of the panels captures the accidents of direct contact with fire. These imperfections, accentuated by delicate traces of luminous light and pure gold, embody the essence of kintsugi – a technique, traditionally used to repair vases and porcelain, becomes an artistic gesture. The vases in Japanese vegetal lacquer, gold and glaze and bas-reliefs are of classical forms inspired by ancient traditions, from Nagada amphorae to Cretan and Etruscan vases, ancient Egyptian ceramic plates and Babylonian architecture. 

Karen Swami’s work reflects a symbolic and poetic relationship between precise attention to detail, form, material and accident. 

Karen Swami is a French artist and ceramist, who lives and works in Paris. Her work was presented by March Fine Art, San-Francisco (2023); Galerie Ateliers Courbet, New York (2022); Galerie Minsky, Paris and Salon Revelations, Paris (2015). She also collaborated with Marie-Sarah Adenis for the project Ce qui tient à un fil at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2021), as well as created exclusive pieces for Guerlain and Maison Dior.