Gabriel Sobin

Gabriel Sobin is a Franco-American artist and sculptor born in 1971 who lives and works in Provence, France. A graduate of design from Olivier de Serres and the Camondo school in Paris, Sobin's sculptures are primarily of stone and incorporate other natural elements like wax. 

Inspired by the mineral landscapes of the Mediterranean region, the artist's memories of the reddish ochres and monumental quarries of his childhood have fueled his imagination, forging an emotional bond with his sculptural medium of choice. The aesthetic he develops, evoking both the spirit of minimalism and Zen Buddhism, is rooted in the material. He notably wishes to stress out the timeless nature of rock, which is an element invested with fundamental properties. As he says : "my work is primitive, stemming from the desire to materialize and connect basic and fundamental themes together. Exploring light and movement in the mineral allows me to unite the fixed with the incessant metamorphoses of the living. A cut drop of water, or even a sound wave, can then materialize in a surprising interaction born of these same paradoxes."

Sobin harnesses the inner potentials of stone, a silent power or "piece of the Earthly consciousness", breathing life into a material that is known for its resounding strength and toughness. Inspired by natural harmonies, the artist plays with the dualities and equilibriums that compose our world, especially through his mobile mineral sculptures carried by the wind. Thus, the research of holistic nature hides behind the material's tangibility.