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In Bait Al Serkal, a marble block has been cut down to a slab, which bears the painstaking labour that has made it a kind of altar for handcrafted sculptures taking the form of jewellery.
Christodoulos Panayiotou’s works are careful studies in illusion, appearance, aura and seduction. Drawing on his interest in historical narratives and material, his work often prompts revaluations of objects and associated customs. In marble quarries, spray-painted marks provide information on a block, such as weight, quality and provenance. Although these inscriptions are usually effaced once the raw material enters production, Panayiotou maintains them for his SB13 project by carefully altering the marble-cutting process. In Bait Al Serkal, a marble block has been cut down to a slab, which bears the painstaking labour that has made it a kind of altar for handcrafted sculptures taking the form of jewellery. Each piece incorporates a rare type of crystal called a pseudomorph. As its nomenclature suggests, the pseudomorph, literally meaning ‘false form’, is not what it appears to be. Millennia of subterranean formation have metamorphosed the mineral’s internal composition, while its crystalline appearance remains. For this work, each pseudomorph is rendered in gold or precious metals, elevating these stones to the status of luxury goods. A person standing by reveals the jewellery to viewers, heightening its desirability. In Bernard-Marie Koltès’ Dans la solitude des champs de coton [In the Solitude of Cotton Fields], the artist finds a resonant proposition in the playwright’s link between representation and negotiation, where performance and persuasion converge: ‘Tell me what you’ve got and I’ll tell you what I want.’ In the Sharjah Central Souq, also called the Blue Souq, Al Romaizan jewellery shop features one of Panayiotou’s pieces amongst a display of lustrous gold and silver necklaces. This Project was part of Sharjah Biennial 13.