Kirili in Dialogue at
Art Omi
Arts Center in New York's Hudson Valley
Excerpt from the film Alain Kirili, Sculpteur De Tout Les Elements,
by Sandra Paugam /BIXfilms, 2008
“ Alain was a close friend but also an artist I respected enormously.
I was happy to collect his work and to live with his works, looking at them for decades, they rewarded me each time. Alain was an artist who always strived to innovate. He was never satisfied with the status quo, even when his works true claim. He wanted to find new ways to express himself and to reframe his work. New forms, new ways of presentation, and he finally moved to a new part of his carrer creating these color backgrounds behind his wall sculptures, which created a whole new dimension to his work. He occasionally used color in his work, but he mostly relied on natural colors of the material he used, such as the bronze and aluminum. As he innovated, he never violated the basic integrity of his aesthetic.”
Francis Greenburger, founder of Art Omi
A Tribute to Alain Kirili, Brooklyn Rail
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Alain Kirili avec Isabelle Autones et Francis Greenburger, Art Omi, 2008.
“ He found ways to evolve his expression but remained true to his own voice,
which I think is important, because artists sometimes get lost and influences by fashion. He was true and resolved which I respected a lot. Alain often referenced to sensuality and sexuality as an inspiration for his work. While it was not expressed obviously, explicitly, it was an ongoing thought, connection and inspiration for his creative process, about what it symbolically meant to him in terms of humanity. ”
Francis Greenburger, founder of Art Omi
A Tribute to Alain Kirili, Brooklyn Rail
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Sculptures’ installations of Alain Kirili at Art Omi
Cortege, 1982 / Black Sound, 1995 / Solos, 1995
“Alain was always reaching out, he was always interested in new ways of activating his work.
Not only he loved music, danse, but he loved integrating them into the experience of his work. He wanted to create a context that was greater perhaps than anyone of the elements. That was very important to him, to both Ariane and Alain. That was the experience they wanted to share with all of us on those many occasions. ”
Francis Greenburger, founder of Art Omi
A Tribute to Alain Kirili, Brooklyn Rail
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
TheWave, Alain Kirili, Art Omi, 2015 (photo©Michael Fredericks)
"The work of both Kirili and Siena use linear elements that, once assembled, take the shape of abstract forms and fields. These abstractions invite us to follow the artist's line like a path, to take a journey connecting us to ancient places, old friends, books, songs, or moments the artist has lived.
… Working in the forge, Kirili bends, dents, and marks his iron with fire, vices and hammers – altering this rigid material into lyrical arcs, curves, and swaying lines. He will bring these elements into the gallery and arrange them "fa presto," creating a 40-foot assemblage of linear characters alluding to a mysterious ancient language.”
Nicole Hayes, curator of the show Alain Kirili + James Siena: Linear Elements, 2015.
Alain Kirili , Black Sound, 1995 at Art Omi
(collection Francis Greenburger)