Poetry and literature sit at the core of his practice, serving as both source and aim. Drawing on the writings of French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, he staged a cosmic celebration of glass in Avignon in the South of France (2025). For the Beijing exhibition, inspiration also stems from oriental gardens, culminating in Rivière Rose (Rose River) (2026), a site-specific work created for this show.
For Otholniel, poetry inhabits fragility. It resists force and spectacle, emerging instead as something quiet, elusive and inward. To preserve this poetic fragility, he controls every detail of the production and on-site installation with precision, crafting spaces that feel like suspended bubbles, zones of stillness where viewers can form an intimate relationship with the work. Yet, that precision is meant to disappear, leaving only a sense of "effortless," poetic freedom.
Each work in this exhibition carries a historical dimension, drawing on diverse histories, craft traditions, and spiritual beliefs.
