SETAREH is excited to announce The Genesis of Light - Early Paintings and Ceramics, an exhibition that serves an immersive look into the work of Otto Piene, a visionary artist and founding member of the ZERO Group. Pioneering the use of light, fire, and motion, Piene broke traditional boundaries, creating works that channel the power of light as a central medium. Throughout his career, the artist explored the potential of light to reshape perception, redefine space, and connect the viewer with cosmic forces.

On view are a range of his creations, including ceramics, fire gouaches, and light works that showcase his innovative approach. Piene’s fire gouaches reflect his dynamic use of fire as a painterly tool, creating spontaneous forms and textures that capture the primal energy of creation itself. By applying heat directly onto pigment and paper, he allowed natural forces to shape his compositions, leaving traces that evoke the raw power of earthly processes.

Piene‘s light works push beyond traditional canvas, integrating light as an artistic material in its own right. Through carefully orchestrated installations which explore the spectrum from darkness to radiance, Piene created spaces that pulse with energy, inviting viewers into immersive environments where light is a dynamic, almost living presence.

The ceramics are a testament to Piene’s endless curiosity about materials and his dedicationto experimenting with form and surface. Through clay, fire, and glaze, he achieved unique works that echo his fascination with the fusion of elemental forces, inviting reflection on creation, destruction, and rebirth.

Each work on show reflects Piene’s belief that light is more than mere illumination; in his vision, light becomes a symbol of creation and transformation, a universal force that shapes both art and the natural world.