Rimona Kogan 2023

Personal Information:

Name: Rimona-Ruth Kogan

City: Berlin, Germany

D.O.B.: 18.07.2002

Since December 2020 I am following a Glassengraver Apprenticeship at the Workshop Inge Gerner Glasgravur, Citadel Spandau, Berlin.

About my Work:

Mount Nysa II:

This work is a new cubism-inspired interpretation of my first ever competition piece “Mount Nysa”. It depicts the Greek myth of Dionysus, hiding away inside Mount Nysa, his relationship with death, rebirth and his father Zeus. The King of the Gods. Worshiping the revival of the Golden 20’s I decided to bring back one of the most popular art styles of the time: cubism. Made famous by artists such as Jean Metzinger, George Braque and Pablo Picasso. Through the lens of cubism I retell Dionysus’ story.

4 White Glass Trapezes build the outer layers of the Mountain and become the showplace for a luscious vineyard, made with traditional stone wheel engraving technique. The sharp geometrical grapes, vines and winestock are on brand with the cubist style, getting reduced to only their most important features and having been freely rearranged. The quadratic grapes specifically also possess an essential quality of cubism, that being that each grape looks as though you are seeing it out of every perspective. The illusion was created by aligning 4 sharp cuts as precisely as possible.

Further inside the mountain 3 steels, made from float glass, surround Dionysus. Not only protecting him from the jealous Goddess Hera, but caging him in a way as well. These triangles are also a direct connection to a borosilicate glass bowl with Zeus’ symbol of power. Zeus being the King of the Gods by extension also poses as Olympus’ will. Dionysus’ inevitable meetings with death are portrayed by the falling figure on a pink crystal glass cube. The figure circles back to the cubist style, focusing on geometric shapes made with traditional stone wheel engraving technique as well.

The Engraving:

"Mount Nysa II" is 280cm by 280cm by 280cm

Sculpture of engraved pieces on a base plate

Photographer: Christoph Hagedorn

Click on any image to see a larger version

Mount Nysa II

Vineyard Detail 1

Vineyard Detail 2

Zeus Detail

Dionysus Detail