Baile de Cubos II 2022

Lukas Ulmi

StoneIronMetal
102 ⨯ 53.50 ⨯ 42 cm
ConditionExcellent
€ 3.630

Villa del Arte Galleries

• About the artwork
  This piece is made with iron rods
  Lukas Ulmi, originally from Switzerland, lives and works in Valencia. Through his sculptures, he skilfully explores and merges illusion, false perception, presence and absence; scenarios where everything and nothing exists.
  Ulmi’s work unveils the hidden beauty of shapes, stones, seemingly static forms, incomplete or meaningless objects that are often found washed up on Valencia’s beaches. These recycled items are turned into authentic sculptures where weightlessness, movement and poetry unite in delicate iron compositions that subvert ideas of harmony, balance and space. His works have strong connections to the earth, creating circles and lines representing a symbolic return to primary contact, such as planets in constant motion or the harmonious flow of energy in nature.
  Since 1998, Ulmi’s monumental sculptures and fountains have been displayed in numerous squares in Spain and Switzerland. His work has been shown across the world and acquired by important public institutions such as the Palau de la Música in Valencia.
• About the artist

  Lukas Ulmi (Swiss, born 1958) is a contemporary sculptor whose work explores perception, movement, and the shifting relationship between form and space. Central to his practice is the cube—an archetypal geometric form that Ulmi redraws in space using fine iron rods. Rather than presenting solid volumes, he constructs fragile, almost immaterial structures that appear and disappear depending on the viewer’s position.

  Ulmi’s sculptures invite active participation. As the spectator moves around the work, lines align, dissolve, and reassemble, revealing cubes that seem both present and elusive. This kinetic and visual experience is a defining characteristic of his artistic trajectory. The cube functions not as a fixed object but as a spatial possibility, forcing the eye to search for a precise viewpoint from which an apparently impossible figure suddenly resolves itself. Each sculpture offers a different configuration, making perception itself the true subject of the work.

  The importance of form in Ulmi’s practice lies in its behavior in space. His works challenge the composite nature of vision, encouraging viewers to navigate around the sculpture in order to grasp its structure. What initially appears abstract or fragmented gradually becomes ordered through movement, creating a dynamic dialogue between artwork, space, and observer. In this way, Ulmi transforms sculpture into an experiential process rather than a static object.

  Of Swiss origin, Lukas Ulmi divides his artistic activity between Switzerland and Spain, where he has developed a substantial body of large-scale public works. His sculptures have been exhibited in major institutional settings and international galleries, including Ver Visiones at Centro del Carmen, the Cañada Blanch Award exhibition at La Nau (Valencia), Espacios Hallados at Fundación “la Caixa” (Vinaroz), and solo presentations at Galerie Anixis in Baden.

  Ulmi’s work is held in prominent public and private collections, including the Norman Foster Collection, as well as significant institutional and private collections in Spain and internationally. Through his rigorous exploration of geometry, perception, and spatial experience, Lukas Ulmi has established himself as a distinctive voice in contemporary sculpture, bridging minimalism, kinetic art, and architectural thought.

Are you interested in buying this artwork?