Alain Kirili

In May 2022, in their New York space, RX&SLAG held its first tribute to Alain Kirili, the Franco-American sculptor (1946-2021). Today, after a long absence from the French art scene, RX&SLAG will dedicate a major exhibition to him in Paris, taking over the four main rooms of the gallery.

At the same time, at the Grand Palais during FAB Paris, from November 22 to 27, 2024, the gallery will present a solo show of Alain Kirili, featuring a set of five forged iron sculptures (1981-1983). These works resonate with those in the collections of MoMA in New York, as well as those recently added to the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Wall Sculptures series (2016-2020) will be prominently featured at the center of the gallery’s stand. An instalThe installation from this same series is on view in the permanent collection route of the Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain lation in Saint-Étienne, as part of its reopening.

Through this exhibition “ Défi de l'apesanteur ” RX&SLAG will present three distinct series that revolve around experimentation.The concept of "verticality" holds a central place in Alain Kirili's work. Having lived in New York, he drew inspiration from the city's architecture, particularly from the power conveyed by the verticality of skyscrapers. His creations are also often influenced by themes such as spirituality and music, with a particular affinity for jazz.

In the first room, four sculptures from the artist’s latest series, Wall Sculptures (2017-2018) offer a dancing vision of verticality. While less formal, these works retain their inherent power. In this series, Alain Kirili incorporates color into his pieces, transforming them into painting-sculptures. The artist chose to preserve the full structure and rawness of the material, intensifying a force that feels almost uncontrollable. The curves of the sculptures seem imbued with a sense of musicality, each following its own movement, its unique rhythm—like a dynamic visual composition.

In the second room, four sculptures from the Ségou series (2005) stand like delicate shadows. First presented in 2005 in the garden of the Palais Royal in Paris, these works were planted directly into the earth. In his work with iron, Alain Kirili enjoyed alternating between two techniques: the Western and the African. For this series, he worked directly with forged iron in the region of Ségou, in Mali. He valued the contrast created by this metalwork, which undergoes a particular hardening process compared to that used in the West. This characteristic, resulting from the use of recycled materials, gives the sculptures a unique texture. The technique of hammering, which he felt was underutilized in sculpture, plays a significant role in his work.

Beneath the grand glass roof, six works from the Equivalences and Uccello series (2008) explore the profound relationship between sculpture and metaphysics. Alain Kirili's work is shaped by a wide range of influences, notably from modern sculptural traditions such as those of Rodin and Brancusi. Yet these influences are tempered by a deeper, more spiritual dimension. In encountering works like Palais à 4 heures du matin by Giacometti and Here II by Newman, Kirili perceives a verticality that reflects a unique morphological identity—one that is both formal and spiritual in nature.

The final room of the exhibition concludes this sculptural journey with a series of works on paper from 1982, radical in both form and subject. The five drawings on display stem from the artist's interest in the sacred and in the concept of the Testaments. In creating these works, Kirili drew influence from Japanese calligraphy, studying with a calligrapher and traveling to Japan to immerse himself in this traditional art form.

"If it shocks the people in the art world, I insist and repeat that our era is much more religious than we think." For Alain Kirili, modernity is not secular; on the contrary, it reveals itself to be deeply spiritual and religious. For him, the crucifixion is a significant theme for a Western artist, representing Christ's struggle with suffering. He considered it part of a shared heritage, a foundational act of our civilization. In his conversations with Labbey Laday, for whom he created a crucifix to celebrate Mass at the church in Cheuge, Kirili speaks of his deep interest in the sacred in art.