Yardang

Although not the largest work of art displayed at Noor, the dimensions of Yardang (2022) are an accomplishment all of their own. Weighing in at a phenomenal 3 tons, this abstract sculpture of mirrored bricks reflects the landscape around it to create a mise en abyme of likenesses. Like an image within an image, Yardang projects an infinitely recurring sequence of its surroundings. Artist Jean-Michel Othoniel allowed himself to be inspired by the unique shapes found in the deserts, such as the yardang of the work’s title: a rocky ridge created by wind erosion. In creating a crystallised landscape, this installation imagines a gigantic, pixillated mirror that breaks the environment up into hundreds of reflections and in turn constructs new multiplied and abstract versions.