REVIEW | Kira Phoenix K’inan / Living Rooms – BobCat Gallery

What is it about glass that is so appealing to our eyes? Is it the way the light catches and reflects against the smooth surfaces and jagged edges? Is it the spectrum of colours and visual effects that can be cast with the medium? Or perhaps the delicate appearance that gives it a kind of holy aura? For Kira Phoenix K’inan (@kpkinanglass), it’s all of the above.

Kira’s solo show with BobCat Gallery is a cosy presentation of beautiful glass sculptures styled in a homely interior filled with plants and furniture carved by Julian Emsley (@julianemsley). The contrast of textures really enhances the gravitas of some of Kira’s layered pieces, particularly the ominous Superposition Black Hexagon which stands precariously on four ‘legs’.

In her more colourful pieces, the Ishihara colour vision test formed the initial inspiration, combining countless grains of colour spectra into perceptible clusters and layers that may differ from person to person. Subjectivity is refreshingly encouraged throughout her work.

The back room is where the fun begins, filled with brightly coloured creations from her Play series that resemble flapjacks and Rice Krispies than glass. The accessible tactility of her sculptures is not lost on her; it’s a real challenge to rewire one’s brain into not wanting to pick one up and eat it. An assortment of works on paper accompany these, some serving as the basis for her Relief Glass Drawing pieces, which appear like mystical tablets from a lost civilisation.

While many of the works in the front room can be considered ‘serious’ due to their adoption of traditional shapes like circles and squares, some of the Play sculptures take on freer forms for the viewer to project their own interpretations. I have a real love for Kira’s organic-looking Palmately Netted Veins which demonstrate her craftsmanship and skill in this medium to maximum effect. Fragile and super thin, their colourful forms resemble anything from coral to cabbage leaves or, in my case, edible bird’s nest (燕窝).

Although many of these appear like decorative ornaments in the world of applied arts, works like Hearts Invisible Furies suggest a conscious vision towards elevating glassware to being considered a higher artform like painting and sculpture. Even the white sculptures in the middle of the room have an otherworldly quality to them that transcends mere decoration.

For the level of technical skill needed to produce them, Kira’s works are surprisingly affordable, so I couldn’t resist acquiring a piece. Of course, we all know the real reason was because Superposition Lilies reminded me instantly of Taylor Swift’s now-iconic Lover bodysuit.