Gisela Colón (US)

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
photography Gert Jan van Rooij

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
photography Gert Jan van Rooij

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
photography Gert Jan van Rooij

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
photography Gert Jan van Rooij

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
photography Gert Jan van Rooij

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
photography Gert Jan van Rooij

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
photography Gert Jan van Rooij

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
photography Gert Jan van Rooij

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)
engineered aerospace carbon fiber
762 x 243 x 305 cm
courtesy the artist & Gavlak, Los Angeles, Palm Beach
photography Gert Jan van Rooij

Gisela Colón - Quantum Shift (Parabolic Monolith Sirius Titanium) (2021)

In light of the Russian war in Ukraine, the first association with Gisela Colón’s work for GODHEAD was perhaps a missile or rocket. And although Colón (b. Vancouver, Canada, 1966, raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, lives in Los Angeles, US) does in fact make use of materials and knowledge from space exploration, this sculpture has nothing to do with masculine exploits and conquest. The work should rather be seen as a symbol of a new era. An era of re-evaluation of nature and cosmos, which Colón describes as post-Anthropocene and in which the role of humankind is put into perspective.

The title, Quantum Shift, refers to a change in consciousness and interaction with the natural world. Having grown up in Puerto Rico, Colón feels a strong connection to nature, the rainforest, the beach, animals and plants. With its shape and length, Quantum Shift is also reminiscent of totems, traditionally connected to cultures in which people have a deep connection to the elusive world around them.

The sculpture was made with a high-tech surface treatment that results in shifting shades of colour, depending on the angle and intensity of the light and the position of the viewer. This makes it look mysterious and formidable. Colón is known for her use of innovative materials from advanced aerospace technology, such as carbon fibre. Every sculpture is given a different surface finish, which is activated by the surrounding light. Not only do Cólon’s monolithic works allude in their form to the Californian Light and Space Movement of the 1960s, as represented by Larry Bell, Robert Irwin and James Turrell, they also evoke associations with the divine, as the lingams of Hindu tradition do.

Colón’s sculptures are seamless, with few if any edges and lines. These are perfectly smooth, feminine forms that suggest constant movement and growth because of their futuristic and colourful appearance. In recent years, Colón’s sculptures have become larger and larger. Quantum Shift is among the largest she has made and allowed Lustwarande to present an impressive first display of her work in the Netherlands.